Wei Di, head of the Chinese Football Association, said that China's referees are under incredible pressure from players, coaches and fans, calling for a lenient circumstance.

The referees' level was questioned in recent competitions of the domestic league and CFA Cup and Wei admitted that there is a wide gap between the level of the country's referees and the improvement of Chinese soccer. "We should face the reality," Wei added.

"Drawing lots to distribute the referees is fair but the overall level of the referees is another problem," he said, "first we should give all out to crack down on 'black whistle' and all the low level mistakes on the ground, but it needs time."

Wei added: "The pressure also exerts negative effect upon our referees. More pressure, lower level. I think Chinese soccer referees are under unbelievable pressure put from players, coaches and fans."