Shen Yinhao

Shen Yinhao (born 6 November 1986) is a Chinese football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2018. Shen has also been involved in multiple criminal cases. In 2020, he was in the spotlight of Chinese football because his thesis was suspected of being plagiarized.

Controversy Criminal investigation into plagiarism Shen has been involved in multiple criminal cases. In 2020, he was in the spotlight of Chinese football because his thesis was suspected of being plagiarized.

Tongji University, where Shen completed his master's and doctoral degrees, had launched an investigation into the case while Shen Yinhao served as deputy dean of the college's Football Academy. The impact of the case means that Shen Yinhao is threatened with severe punishment, including the potential revocation of his status as a referee by Chinese football authorities. It is known that in 2018, the government and the Chinese Communist Party tightened the rules regarding plagiarism. Documents from the Chinese Communist Party confirm that anyone who violates integrity will be held legally accountable.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup While officiating of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup semi-final between Indonesia and Uzbekistan on 29 April 2024, Shen drew controversy for use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Particularly in the disallowing of a goal by Muhammad Ferarri for offside, which was a major point of contention. Apart from annulling Muhammad Ferarri's goal, Shen also canceled a violation in the penalty box against midfielder Witan Sulaeman and gave a red card to Rizky Ridho via video assistant referee or VAR, with multiple experts citing that the VAR check did not comply with FIFA officiating standards.