Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has sent his condolences to Football Australia and to the family and loved ones of former FIFA referee and respected administrator Gary Power who passed away at the age of 69 on Tuesday after bravely battling cancer.
Power was appointed to several high-profile matches in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers before successfully transitioning into referees’ administration where he held key leadership positions including Director of Referees at the AFC as well as Referees' Expert for the Qatar Football Association.
The AFC President said: “On behalf of the whole Asian football family, please accept my heartfelt sympathies and condolences on the passing of Gary Power.
“As one of the most distinguished referees’ instructors, he dedicated a great deal of his life towards the development of match officials and his contributions to Australian and Asian football will always be cherished. We have lost a true servant of the game and the Asian football family joins me in mourning his passing,” added Shaikh Salman.
In recent years, Power served as the National Elite Referees Instructor in Football Australia, where he was responsible for developing programmes and frameworks for the management and improvement of match officials for the A-League, National Youth League and W-League.
The thoughts and prayers of the AFC and the rest of the Asian football community are with the loved ones and friends of Power, Football Australia and the Australian football family during this difficult time.