Profile Of Shen Yinhao, Controversial Referee Leading Indonesia U-23 Vs Uzbekistan U-23

Shen Yinhao leads the Indonesia U-23 vs Uzbekistan U-23 (doc. Tongji University) match.

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan U-23 in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup semifinals, Monday, April 29, 2024. The referee from China, Shen Yinhao, who led the match was in the spotlight.

Leading the game for 116 minutes, Shen was quite controversial because of his decisions at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar.

Shen Yinhao decided to annul Garuda Muda's goal, not to give Indonesia U-23 a penalty for the foul on Witan Sulaeman, and some of the violations that were not awarded to Uzbekistan U-23 players.

Not only that, the judge did not even hesitate to give a yellow card to the U-23 Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong.

Shen Yinhao's performance in the semifinal match drew a lot of criticism from Indonesian football fans, especially on social media. Many have questioned his justice and professionalism as a referee.

Some even accused Shen Yinhao of deliberately sided with Uzbekistan U-23 given his dark history in leading a match involving the Indonesian national team at the 2023 SEA Games.

Shen Yinhao is a professional soccer referee from China who was born on November 6, 1986 in Shanghai.

He has been a FIFA referee since 2018 and has led many matches at various levels, including the Chinese Super League, Asian Champions League, and the U-20 World Cup.

Although the referee is experienced with a good reputation, his performance in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup semifinal match has actually caused a lot of controversy.