In the opening match of Group E between South Korea and Bahrain for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, Chinese referee Ma Ning, who officiated the game, has been targeted with a barrage of negative comments on social media following the issuance of five yellow cards to Korean players.

There has been an outpour of anger from South Korean football fans criticizing the biased decisions made by Ma Ning. On the morning of January 17, Ma Ning's social media account received nearly 7,000 comments, predominantly from South Korean football fans.

Comments included expressions such as "Because of you, the Korean players had to endure the worst game," "Why play with the cards in our match?" "This is a violation of fairness," "You are not qualified as a referee," and "I don't want to meet you at the stadium next time," reflecting the fans' dissatisfaction with Ma Ning's performance.

Some netizens even posted hateful remarks, including slurs and references to historical events, causing further concern.

During the live broadcast of the match on various streaming platforms, Ma Ning's social media address was shared by users in the chat window, accompanied by threats of future harassment. Some comments encouraged others to join in the criticism.

On January 15, 2024, Korea played against Bahrain at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, around 8:30 PM (Korean time). 

Contrary to expectations that there would be an overwhelming difference in skill between the two teams, Korea showed signs of being pushed back by Bahrain from the beginning of the first half. In particular, Park Yong Woo received a yellow card in the 10th minute of the first half, and the tide turned.

Shortly after the match began, referee Ma Ning issued yellow cards to Kim Min Jae in the 12th minute and Lee Ki Je in the 28th minute. These decisions quickly sparked criticism among fans and commentators, who questioned whether the calls were biased.

Ma Ning's penchant for distributing yellow cards didn't wane in the second half. He continued by booking Cho Gyu Sung and Son Heung Min. The decisions were met with vocal disapproval from the fans, who expressed their discontent through a chorus of boos.

Ma Ning is known to have a tendency to hand out cards frequently, but he didn't penalize the Bahrain players for the same rough tackles or fouls. This inconsistency in his officiating raised further suspicions of bias, fueling debate and discussion among viewers and analysts.

Despite the perceived bias, the game ended 3-1 in South Korea's favor with Lee Kang In's multi-goal contribution, but the accumulation of 5 yellow cards poses a potential threat for the upcoming matches.

In the Asian Cup, accumulating two yellow cards until the quarter-finals results in suspension for the subsequent game. A single yellow card before the semi-finals leads to disqualification.

In response to the situation, Son Heung Min stated, "Honestly, it was unnecessary warnings. I didn't simulate; we tried not to collide, but I guess we need to manage the yellow cards better."

Meanwhile, the opponent in the second round of the group stage is Jordan and will be broadcast at around 8:30 PM (Korean time) on January 20. Attention is being paid to how Klinsmann will manage the yellow card accumulation.