Xie Lijun becomes Chinese Super League's first female referee

SHANGHAI, April 15 (Xinhua) -- After taking charge of the match between Shanghai Port and Shandong Taishan in the 2024 Chinese Super League on Monday, Xie Lijun became the first woman to referee a top-flight men's football match in China.

Xie, 35, is an elite assistant referee for the Asian Football Confederation. She officiated at the 2022 Women's Asian Cup and the 2024 U20 Women's Asian Cup finals, as well as