HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese football authorities have announced foreign referees will be drafted in to work on the final weeks of the Chinese Super League season in a move to boost the standard of officiating in the big-spending league. "In order to ensure a smooth finish to the season, from Round 27 onwards the Chinese Football Association will invite referees from Europe and the Americas to officiate on crucial games," the statement said. Two of the clubs featuring in this weekend's matches - Tianjin Quanjian and Tianjin Teda - are currently under investigation by the Chinese Football Association following allegations of match fixing in their meeting last month, which relegation-threatened Teda won 4-1. "The Chinese Football Association has enhanced training for referees, putting emphasis on monitoring and regulation, to build professional refereeing teams while implementing new technologies and exploring a new path for the development of Chinese referees," they said. "At the moment, the Chinese Football Association is working with FIFA and the International Football Association Board in order to implement the video assistant officiating system.

Source: The Star October 12, 2017 16:07 UTC