Ma Ning

Ma Ning (; born 14 June 1979) is a Chinese football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2011. He also teaches at the Nanjing Sport Institute. Known for a stern, uncompromising officiating style, Ma was nicknamed "Card Master" by fans.

On 19 May 2022, Ma was selected as one of the 36 referees for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the second Chinese referee to achieve this since Lu Jun in 2002.

On 21 August 2022, during a Chinese Super League game between Wuhan Yangtze River and Henan Songshan Longmen, Ma was deliberately knocked over by Songshan Longmen striker Henrique Dourado, who was subsequently sent off for violent conduct. The game finished 2–2. Five days later, the Chinese FA announced a 12-month suspension to Dourado, which was the most severe penalty in the history of the Chinese Super League.

On 2 February 2023, at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, Ma officiated a match between Al Ahly and Auckland City, with Al Ahly winning 3–0.

On 8 February 2024, Ma Ning was appointed to take charge of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final between Jordan and Qatar in Doha on 10 February 2024.

On 14 October 2025, Ma was appointed as one of the 14 referees for the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, having thus far overseen the matches between Mauritania and Kuwait, Morocco and Comoros, and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Ma was one of the 52 referees to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, being the only Chinese referee since Lu Jun to be the central referee. On 20 June 2026, Ma debuted as the referee at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao, and issued six yellow cards.

Controversies 2015 Chinese Super League: Shanghai Port F.C. vs Shanghai Shenhua F.C. On 9 May 2015, Ma drew widespread controversy as he sent off three Shenhua players in a Shanghai derby between Shanghai SIPG and Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League; the game finished 5–0 to SIPG.

2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite: Al Ittihad vs Machida Zelvia On 17 April 2026, in the AFC Champions League Elite quarter finals, Ma Ning would controversially call off an Al Ittihad goal against Machida Zelvia in the 86th minute, as well as not call many fouls that were against Al Ittihad, drawing Controversy from the Al Ittihad Fanbase, as the game would end 1–0 in favour of Machida Zelvia, eliminating Al Ittihad from the competition.

Record 2019 AFC Asian Cup – United Arab Emirates Date Match Venue Round 9 January 2019 – Al Ain Group stage

2023 AFC Asian Cup – Qatar Date Match Venue Round 15 January 2024 – Al Rayyan Group stage 29 January 2024 – Al Khor Round of 163 February 2024 – Al RayyanQuarter-finals 10 February 2024 – Lusail Asian Cup Final 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite Date Match Venue Round 5 November 2024 Al Nassr – Al Ain Riyadh League stage 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Date Match Venue Round 16 September 2025 Shabab Al Ahli – Tractor Dubai League stage 20 October 2025 Al Ahli – Al Gharafa Jeddah League stage 10 February 2026 Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Johor Darul Ta'zim Hiroshima League stage 16 February 2026 Al Hilal – Al Wahda Riyadh League stage 13 April 2026 Al Ahli – Al Duhail Jeddah Round of 16 17 April 2026 Machida Zelvia – Al Ittihad Jeddah Quarter-finals

2026 FIFA World Cup – Canada–Mexico–United States Date Match Venue Round 20 June 2026 – Kansas City Group stage

In popular culture Ma Ning has secured sponsorships from Chinese brands Lenovo, Hisense and Mengniu. Since starting his social media account, he has garnered over 200,000 followers.