CFA confirms referee's error in Shanghai Shenhua defender Jiang's foul

Shanghai Shenhua defender Jiang Shenglong should have been shown a red card instead of a yellow for his foul during his team's 2-1 win over Changchun Yatai last Saturday, according to the routine referee assessment released on Thursday.

The Chinese Football Association confirmed in a statement that the match referee made an error by not sending off Jiang for his challenge.

"In the 91st minute of the match, the No. 4 player of Shanghai Shenhua (Jiang) stepped on the leg of the No. 23 goalkeeper of Changchun Yatai while contesting for the ball in the opponent's penalty area," the statement read.

"The referee initially did not call a foul, but VAR intervened. After reviewing the incident on the field monitor, the referee ruled that the No. 4 player of Shanghai Shenhua had committed a foul and issued a yellow card as a warning."

"Regarding this case, the majority of the review panel believed that the No. 4 player of Shanghai Shenhua attempted to shoot but missed the ball, and upon landing, the studs of his boot stepped on the side of the calf of the No. 23 goalkeeper of Changchun Yatai. The foul action and the force of contact endangered the safety of the opposing player and should be considered a serious foul, warranting a red card and ejection from the game."

"The intervention by VAR was correct. However, the referee's decision to issue a yellow card after reviewing the incident on the field monitor was incorrect, resulting in a missed red card," the statement added.

Five minutes after Jiang's foul, Shanghai Shenhua scored the winner.

"We should have got away unscathed from the Shanghai stadium," Changchun Yatai said on social media following the CFA's statement.

However, Changchun head coach Xie Hui declined to discuss the issue.

"This matter is already behind us, and the result cannot be changed. It might be a double-edged sword to some extent. It could be seen as recognition for the team, but it might also build up some resentment," he said.

"We should forget all of this and start over. That is our attitude," he added.