In the AFC Champions League – which is already one of the richest continental competitions in world football – clubs stand to earn over US$60,000 per match from the group stage to the semi-finals, with the total contribution rising from US$4.2 million last year to US$8.4 million next year.

Meanwhile, in the AFC Cup, the total travel contribution has doubled from US$2.94 million in 2018 to US$5.88 million in 2019.

The 20-year-old Hong Konger scored a dramatic winner in Matchday Four against Kashiwa Reysol that ensured a historic first AFC Champions League win for both his club Kitchee SC and, indeed, the first victory in the competition for Hong Kong.

Iraq's Air Force Club, who created history by winning a third consecutive title in 2018, will not feature as they will be playing in the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Kuwait's Qadsia SC, who won the title in 2014, will begin their continental campaign in West Asia's Group C where they have Al Ahed from Lebanon, Bahrain's Malkiya Club and Al Suwaiq of Oman for company.

The 23-year-old's fantastic goal on Matchday Two came in a memorable 4-1 victory over Singapore's Tampines Rovers at a packed Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The superb strike also saw him become the first Indonesian to score for Persija at the 2018 AFC Cup and gained him 58 percent of the vote to win the poll.

Fresh from winning the 2018 AFC Champions League - their first Continental crown - Kashima will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the Emperor's Cup semi-finals on December 5.

Should Kashima defeat Urawa - which will be a meeting between the last two AFC Champions League winners - they will face Vegalta Sendai or Montedio Yamagata in the final four days later.

The Emperor's Cup is important to both Kashima and Urawa as emerging champions would mean automatic entry to the group stage of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

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.

Kashima Antlers’ Yuma Suzuki and Kento Misao, who were at the heart of the J.League side’s first-ever AFC Champions League title triumph last week, lead the nominations in the men’s category with Al Sadd’s Abdelkarim Hassan completing this year’s star-studded cast.

At just 22-years-old, Suzuki, who came through the Kashima youth system, distinguished himself with his all-round play and work rate, scoring twice in the AFC Champions League this season and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.