Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Melbourne: Reigning AFC Referee of the Year Ravshan Irmatov has been handed the honour of officiating the 2015 AFC Asian Cup opening match, which sees hosts Australia take on 1980 champions Kuwait at what is set to be a packed Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Friday.
The vastly-experienced Uzbek, who was named the continent’s best referee for a record-extending fifth time during the AFC’s Annual Award ceremony and 60th Anniversary celebrations in Manila last year, will be assisted by compatriot Abdukhamidullo Rasulov and Bakhadyr Kochkarov from Kyrgyzstan. Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob will be the fourth official for the eagerly-anticipated tournament curtain-raiser, with his fellow Malaysian Mohd Yusri Muhamad named as the fifth official.
Appointment to the opening match of the 16th edition of Asia’s premier tournament is the latest feather in the cap for Irmatov.
The 37-year-old from Tashkent set an all-time record for refereeing at the FIFA World Cup when he officiated the Brazil 2014 quarter-final between the Netherlands and Costa Rica to take his tally of matches to nine, beating the previous record of eight he shared with Joël Quiniou of France, Benito Archundia of Mexico and Uruguay's Jorge Larrionda.
A veteran at the AFC Asian Cup, Irmatov is participating in his third tournament, having made his first appearance at China 2004 when he was a fourth official for Korea Republic’s goalless draw with Jordan.
No stranger to high-pressure matches in the competition, Irmatov was most recently in charge of the thrilling 2011 AFC Asian Cup final, which ended with Japan defeating Australia 1-0 in extra-time to win the coveted continental title for a record fourth time.