As the Chinese team's trip to Doha draws nearer and nearer, Shanghai's preparation schedule has become more and more intense and orderly. early in the morning of August 24th, the team welcomed a key "refereeing rules seminar" at their hotel in Shanghai's Minhang District, prior to the Top 12 match. The lecture was given by Wang Di, an active international referee specially invited by the FA, who explained the latest rule changes and the operation of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in depth with specific cases, which was warmly welcomed and highly evaluated by the players.
Since the era of Lippi, "referee rules seminar" has become a mandatory course for international players before the competition. After Li Tie took over the national football team, similar lectures have been carried out in different stages of the team's preparation. Last October, during the Shanghai training, the Football Association has invited the former international referee, the current Association of special lecturer Tao Rancheng lecture. In addition, Ma Ning, Wang Di and other registered international referees have also served as lecturers, explaining the rules through real-world cases, which was well received by the players. It is reported that the referee department of the AFC assigned Ma Ning, Fu Ming, Zhang Lei and other international referees (including two assistant referees) to go to West Asia to enforce the first two rounds of the 12-team tournament. Therefore, the referee rules lecture of this period of national football training in Shanghai is still given by Wang Di. Wang Di has assisted the national soccer team in Sharjah, UAE for the last three rounds of the Top 40 matches. The Chinese team's success in advancing to the final round of the 40-team tournament was due to their own strength and efforts, as well as the fair enforcement of the referees. Respecting and obeying the referee's decisions is an important guarantee of fair law enforcement, so understanding the rules and referee's characteristics is crucial for the international players. Although Wang Di was unable to accompany the team to the West due to his busy schedule, he still provided support to the team in an appropriate way. At the seminar, Wang Di explained in detail the latest international penalty rules update and the essentials of VAR operation. The AFC decided to fully introduce VAR technology during the 12th round of the tournament, so the lecture was very timely. It is worth mentioning that the referees of the first two rounds of matches are all familiar with the "old faces" of the national football team, and the national football team has a very good understanding of their style of law enforcement. In the afternoon of the 25th internal teaching match, Wang Di is expected to continue to act as referee, to help the players better understand the rules. From the organization of the referee expert lectures, the football association for the national football team to prepare for the 12 strong tournament to do their best, for the players who are going to go out to provide a strong psychological support.
