The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Sunday awarded six match officials, including three men and women, with the AFC Referees Special Award 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Other referees who received their awards from the AFC Referees Committee Vice-Chairman Hany Taleb Ballan Safar of Qatar were the women’s team comprising Australians Kate Jacewicz and Renae Coghill as well as India’s Uvena Fernandes.
The awards were handed over to winners at the opening of the AFC Elite Referees and Assistant Referees Seminar taking place in the Malaysian capital.
“Their achievements serve as a testament to the progressive steps Asian football continues to undertake under the banner of One Asia, One Goal and I am confident that they will continue to do us proud in the years ahead,” AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was quoted by AFC official website as saying during the seminar.
Faghani, Sokhandan and Mansouri made history this year as Asia’s first trio to officiate the final of the Men's Olympic Football Tournament when they took charge of the Brazil versus Germany gold medal match in August in Rio de Janeiro.
During the hugely successful AFC Asian Cup 2015 Australia, Faghani and Sokhandan were appointed to officiate the final match between Korea Republic and host nation Australia. The men’s trio also officiated the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final in Tokyo, which saw Barcelona take on Argentina’s River Plate.
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