Kuala Lumpur, October 23 (QNA) - Iranian international Football referee Alireza Faghani expressed his happiness for officiating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches for the third time in his professional career.
Speaking to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website, Faghani said that being in this major global event represents a dream to him.
Faghani became a FIFA referee in 2008 and by 2009, he was elevated to an elite referee before going on to feature prominently in the AFC's competitions including the AFC Asian Cup, the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.
He refereed two matches at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 as well as four matches at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 including the third-place play-off match between Belgium and England, two matches at the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 and also the gold medal match at the 2016 Olympic Games Men's Football tournament between Germany and Brazil.
He was named the AFC Referee of the Year in 2016 and 2018 and is probably best remembered by Asian football fans as the referee for the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 Final between the Socceroos and Korea Republic in Sydney.
Qatar 2022 will be Faghani's third stint at the FIFA World Cup after making his debut at the 2014 edition in Brazil as a Support Referee. (QNA)