BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has confirmed that the red card shown to Chengdu Rongcheng captain Zhou Dingyang during a recent Chinese Super League match was a refereeing error.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the CFA revealed that a routine referee assessment determined Zhou should have received a yellow card instead of a red for his foul in first-half stoppage time during Chengdu's 2-1 loss to Tianjin Jinmen Tigers on Sunday.
"Chengdu Rongcheng's player number 8 (Zhou) was suspected of stepping on Tianjin Jinmen Tigers player number 8 while competing for the ball. The referee did not initially call a foul, but after VAR intervention and on-field review, the referee decided that Chengdu Rongcheng's player number 8 had committed a serious foul and was shown a red card, resulting in his dismissal from the game," the CFA's statement read.
"The red card should not have been given. Instead, a yellow card should have been shown to Chengdu Rongcheng's player number 8 for a reckless foul. The VAR intervention was incorrect, and the referee's decision to issue a red card after the on-field review was also incorrect," the CFA statement clarified.
Following Zhou's dismissal, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers took advantage of their numerical superiority, scoring the winning goal in the 59th minute.
Chengdu Rongcheng's head coach, Seo Jung-Won, attributed the loss partly to the controversial red card. "There were multiple factors at play. We made some adjustments to our starting lineup, and during the match, our captain was sent off," he said. ■
