Asia’s continued rise as global leaders in world refereeing was hailed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Referees Committee at its fourth meeting held virtually. The Committee, led by Chairperson H.E. Du Zhaocai, was pleased to recognise the appointment of Asia’s match officials in three major finals since August this year, which reinforced the AFC’s ambitions to ensure the success of the Continent’s teams and match officials on the world’s biggest stages.
Most recently, Kyrgyz Republic’s Nurdin Bukuev continued Asia’s proud legacy when he became the first from the AFC to officiate as the referee in the final of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which saw Portugal defeat Argentina in Lithuania last month. Just weeks prior, Malaysia’s Suhaimi Mat Hassan was appointed to officiate the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021 Final between the Russian Football Union and Japan, while Australia’s Chris Beath alongside assistant referees Anton Shchetinin and George Lakrindis also oversaw the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics Men’s Football Tournament between Brazil and Spain.
To further underline its commitment to enhance the capabilities of the AFC’s match officials in determining the AFC Elite Referees Panel, the Committee agreed to transition from the existing AFC Referees Recruitment system to a new development pathway through the AFC Referee Academy from 2025 onwards. The Committee recognised the success of the AFC Referees Recruitment system but agreed that the growing demands in today’s modern era of officiating required the AFC to implement a more stringent selection process in its focus to remain at the forefront of world refereeing. Some of the latest measures added to the criteria include a minimum of three years of officiating at the highest national league level as well as the introduction of a grading system which will see Asia’s match officials evaluated by both the AFC and external experts. Additionally, through the AFC Referee Academy, Asia’s promising match officials will also be given the opportunity to access the latest resources and best practices, while being guided by some of the world’s leading experts and educators. The Committee was also provided with an overview of the essential role of the AFC’s match officials in ensuring the safe and successful resumption of the AFC’s Competitions in 2021 as well as the comprehensive suite of online courses, webinars and activities – all designed with the aim of further strengthening the Continent’s world-class refereeing standards.
Source: AFC