Chinese media worry about refereeing ahead of match against Japan.
China will face Japan on Sept. 5 at 7:35 p.m. (local time) at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, in the first match of Group C of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2026 Canada-Mexico-United States of America (North and Central America) Asia Zone Third Qualifying Round at Saitama Stadium. China and Japan are drawn in Group C alongside Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, 카지노사이트 and Indonesia.
Ahead of the match, Chinese media is focusing on the referees. “FIFA has finalized the list of referees for the first match of the third round of Asian qualifiers,” said Chinese media outlet Sina Sports. China will travel to Japan and meet the disastrous Abdulrahman Al Jassim of Qatar. All of the referees are from Qatar,” the report said.
“Al Jassim awarded a penalty in the 10th minute of the second Asian qualifier against South Korea in November. Son Heung-min converted the penalty to give South Korea a 1-0 lead. South Korea went on to score three goals and win 3-0,” he added.
Overall, Al Jassim is a referee who doesn’t cause much trouble on the pitch. He has been an international referee since 2013 and has a lot of experience. He has officiated at the Asian Cup, World Cup, Gold Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
But for China, it’s a reluctant one. At the 2019 Asian Cup, China was also penalized by referee Al Jassim. Al Jassim awarded a penalty kick in the 14th minute of the first half, which Hwang Eui-jo converted to give South Korea the lead. In the end, China lost 0-2 to South Korea.
Chinese fans reacted cynically to the criticism from Sina Sports. “Can we win if we change the referee?”, ‘Don’t blame others’, and ‘Don’t blame others’ were some of the reactions of Chinese fans to the news about Al Jassim. “If it weren’t for the disastrous referees, Chinese soccer would be at the top of the world,” was one shocking claim.
China had a tough time getting through the second round of Asian qualifiers. China was drawn in Group C with South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore. China was swept by South Korea and struggled against Thailand and Singapore. China finished with eight points, the same as Thailand, but China punched their ticket to the third round of qualification by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.
Japan, on the other hand, was dominant. Japan was in Group B with North Korea, Syria, and Myanmar. There was no team that could match them. Japan finished first in the group and qualified for the second round with a six-point record. In six games, they didn’t concede a single goal. Given the current situation and atmosphere, Japan is expected to win in a landslide.