Success-starved China fans adopt 'Card Master' referee as World Cup rep

With China's national team once again failing to qualify for the World Cup, fans have found an unlikely surrogate: referee Ma Ning. Nicknamed "Card Master" for his prolific use of yellow and red cards, the 46-year-old official has become a viral sensation.

Ma shared photos of his journey to the North American tournament on social media, sparking a hashtag that garnered over 3.6 million views on Weibo. His official account has rapidly gained followers, and he has already partnered with brands like Lenovo and Hisense. One of his early posts playfully showed him drawing a "little red book" from his pocket, a nod to the platform's name.

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His luggage is probably all filled with yellow and red cards

Fans have humorously embraced Ma's presence, with one user commenting that his luggage is likely filled with cards. Others have joked about him officiating a match between the United States and Iran, fulfilling China's perceived role as a peace broker. Ma is the only Chinese match referee at the tournament, marking his second World Cup appearance after serving as a fourth official in Qatar in 2022. He is joined by assistant referee Zhou Fei and VAR official Fu Ming.

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The whole country is behind you (though no one from the Chinese football team)