The trio were honoured for their appointment to the third-place playoff between Belgium and England in Saint Petersburg at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, where the AFC were represented by a record 16 match officials.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who presented the trio with their awards on the eve of the biggest-ever AFC Asian Cup which kicks off tomorrow at the Zayed Sports City Stadium said: “There is no better way to honour Asia’s finest match officials than to do it here in the UAE on the eve of the biggest ever AFC Asian Cup.

The Emirati, who began his career in 2000 before eventually earning his FIFA badge in 2010, officiated the Group C match between France and Peru alongside compatriots Mohamed Alhammadi and Hasan Almahri, which saw the eventual champions edge their South American opponents 1-0 at the Ekaterinburg Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The Emirati earned his first break in the 2011 AFC Cup contest between TSW Pegasus and Song Lam Nghe An and has not looked back since, emerging as one of the top referees in the region.

His rise in the sport has seen him become a mainstay in the AFC Champions League before taking charge in the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup semi-final in Chile as well as the AFC Cup final in 2017 and the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.

The tie between 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup runners-up Spain and the Young Football Ferns will be Yamashita’s third appointment in Uruguay 2018, after overseeing the Group D tie between Colombia and Spain on November 17, which ended 1-1, and the Group A tie between New Zealand and Finland, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Kiwis.

The experienced Japanese is appearing in her second FIFA U-17 World Cup and will be assisted by compatriots Naomi Teshirogi, Makoto Bozono and fourth official Laura Fortunato of Argentina.

Yamashita was also appointed as the fourth official for five matches in Uruguay - Finland v Ghana, Uruguay v New Zealand, South Africa v Brazil, Ghana v New Zealand and Germany v Canada.

Photo: FIFA via Getty Images

The largest-ever contingent, which will also be supported by four reserve officials, will see a diverse range of nationalities, with 19 Member Associations represented across the five AFC zones.

The Continent’s best referees and assistant referees were selected based on their skill, technical knowledge, management competence and physical fitness. They will be expected to perform various roles including Additional Assistant Referees, Reserve Assistant Referees as well as Video Assistant Referees (VAR), which will come into force from the quarter-final stage.

Referees

Kate Jacewicz (Australia), Casey Reibelt (Australia), Qin Liang (China PR), Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) and Ri Hyang-ok (DPR Korea)

Assistant Referees
Cui Yong Mei (China PR), Fang Yan (China PR), Hong Kum-nyo (DPR Korea), Makoto Bazono (Japan), Maiko Hagio (Japan), Naomi Teshirogi (Japan), Kim Kyoung-min (Korea Republic) and Lee Seul-gi (Korea Republic)

Conducted annually, the aim of the Seminars is to review the 2018 AFC Competitions season and prepare the AFC’s top match officials for the upcoming one.

The referees are updated on the latest amendments to the Laws of the Game and undergo the review of relevant match incidents to reach consistency and uniformity in decision-making and to elevate their officiating standards.

Building upon the success of past editions, the seminar combines male and female participants, with a total of 298 in attendance for the five-day event.

“Under the AFC’s Vision and Mission, our referees are a key priority in developing world class teams. The past 12 months have confirmed that Asian refereeing is now stronger than ever,” said AFC General Secretary Dato' Windsor John in his opening remarks.

“We had a record 16 match officials at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and Alireza Faghani equaled Asia’s best-ever performance when he officiated in the third and fourth playoff between England and Belgium.

35 referees from the 2017 Batch are among the 86 percent of participants that completed the Introductory Module last September and will be divided into two groups as they begin the five-day Module. Their participation also marks a significant milestone, with a record of 35 different Member Associations engaging in the AFC Referee Academy.

The first day saw the referees partake in a practical session in the morning at the AFC Pitch, before being welcomed by the AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John, who in his opening speech said: “When the AFC President officially inaugurated this building at the end of October, the AFC President spoke of his pride at the success of the Referee Academy.