The presence of foreign referees officiating in the Chinese Super League is not only aimed at achieving "fairness."

Reporter Chen Yong reports On August 9, the 20th round of the Chinese Super League, marking the two-thirds point of the season, will feature the Shanghai derby. This match will also be officiated by Singaporean referee Takki, marking the second time this season that a foreign referee has been appointed. The first was Thailand's Siwakorn Buddhin, who officiated the previous match between Rongcheng and Taishan. In the upcoming final third of the season, it is expected that several foreign referees will officiate, particularly for key matches and those involving teams participating in the AFC Champions League.

In the last three rounds, the championship race in the Chinese Super League has seen significant changes. In round 16, both Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua had 38 points, leading Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Haigang by 4 points. However, in the subsequent three rounds, the performances of the four title contenders have fluctuated, with two of them either drawing or losing in each round.

In round 17, both Chengdu Rongcheng and Beijing Guoan lost, while the other two teams won. In round 18, Beijing Guoan lost again, and Shanghai Haigang drew, allowing Shanghai Shenhua to extend their lead to 6 points. By round 19, both Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua drew. In summary, over these three rounds, Shanghai Shenhua achieved 2 wins and 1 draw, Shanghai Haigang also had 2 wins and 1 draw, Chengdu Rongcheng recorded 2 wins and 1 loss, while Beijing Guoan had 1 draw and 2 losses.

As a result, the points standings among the championship contenders are: Shanghai Shenhua with 45 points, Shanghai Haigang with 41 points, Chengdu Rongcheng with 40 points, and Beijing Guoan with 39 points. The Shanghai derby in round 20 is also a clash between the top two teams in the league; if Shenhua wins, their point advantage will increase to 7 points, while a win for Haigang will reduce the gap to just 1 point.

Such high-stakes matches are certainly eye-catching, but in the past, officiating referees have sometimes sparked controversy. Inviting foreign referees to officiate is undoubtedly the best choice.

Xu Jiren, vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, stated that starting from round 19 of the Chinese Super League, foreign referees will be selected on an irregular basis. He later expressed the hope that foreign referees would also officiate the Shanghai derby.

The final third of the Chinese Super League features several key matches, such as the match between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Haigang in round 23, as well as the Beijing-Lu battle between Shandong Taishan and Guoan. Theoretically, it is even possible to appoint two foreign referees for that round. In round 25, the four title contenders will face off directly, with Shanghai Shenhua against Chengdu Rongcheng and Beijing Guoan against Shanghai Haigang.

In addition to these matches, some crucial relegation battles also necessitate the appointment of foreign referees.

The Chinese Football Association's decision to hire foreign referees is partly related to key matches, but they place greater emphasis on adapting the refereeing standards. Xu Jiren stated, "The main consideration for selecting foreign referees in the Chinese Super League is to enhance communication between domestic and foreign referees, allowing foreign referees to become familiar with Super League players (especially national team players), and promoting international officiating standards. This is beneficial for the national team in future international matches and also helps Super League teams adapt to AFC Champions League competitions."

Currently, the four title contenders and Shandong Taishan, which is not in the title race, have a significant number of national team players. Moreover, these four title contenders are precisely the teams participating in the 2025/2026 AFC Champions League season. Shanghai Haigang and Shanghai Shenhua will compete in the main tournament, which starts in September, while Chengdu Rongcheng will participate in the preliminary round on August 12, and Beijing Guoan will compete in the second preliminary round in September.

In this context, in the upcoming rounds of the league, it is highly likely that foreign referees will officiate matches involving teams participating in the AFC Champions League, which feature a considerable number of national team players and are thus key battles.

The officiating standards of foreign referees indeed differ from those of domestic referees. For instance, in the match officiated by Siwakorn Buddhin between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shandong Taishan, his officiating style encourages physical play, which can be somewhat challenging for players who have adapted to domestic refereeing standards.

Therefore, hiring foreign referees serves the dual purpose of ensuring greater "fairness" and helping Super League players acclimatize to international competition, thereby avoiding unnecessary complications.