China's still hitting goals at the World Cup

Even without a team competing, China still has its representatives on the turf, not with a ball at their feet, but whistles hanging around their necks.

Chinese referee Ma Ning, flanked by assistant Zhou Fei and dedicated VAR official Fu Ming, made history by becoming the first all-Chinese crew to officiate a World Cup game when they took charge of the Group E encounter between Ecuador and Curacao on June 20.

Ma delivered a solid performance as the match referee in the 0-0 draw at Kansas City Stadium, issuing one yellow card to Ecuador and five to Curacao. He was also involved in the Group I match with Norway and France on June 26 as the fourth official, while Zhou acted as reserve assistant referee.

It represents the most significant World Cup involvement by a Chinese match official in more than two decades.

"Someone had told me that I am too old to make it to the World Cup again after the last edition in Qatar," the 47-year-old Ma, who served only as a fourth official in 2022, told China Central Television before this year's tournament. "I just want to prove them wrong and show the quality of Chinese officials."

He sure did, as well as all the other individuals and groups from China having contributed to the quadrennial celebration of the world's most popular sport.

It's now up to the Chinese team to fill in the last missing piece.

The global governing body stays optimistic.

"There is so much potential to be unlocked across China, and they have such an important role to play within the region and as a FIFA member," Mattias Grafstrom, secretary-general of FIFA, said during a visit to Beijing in May.