From their own domestic competitions to the AFC Champions League, the Continent’s match officials have shown diligence and professionalism and played a key role in keeping the game alive during the most difficult of circumstances.

During the closing stages of the ongoing AFC Champions League in Doha, AFC Referees Committee Deputy Chairperson, Hany Taleb Ballan Al Raeesi joined us to share his thoughts on the competition, VAR and how Asia’s refereeing fraternity has navigated a year of unprecedented challenges.

"I felt greater pressure than usual ahead of the match," the 34-year-old told FIFA.com. "I was honoured to be tasked with officiating this match, but I was also aware that I had the responsibility to try my best and do the job well. It was a game which opened a new path for female referees.

"I had a feeling that this match might be significant for the future of female referees," continued Yamashita. "All that I needed to do was concentrate on my work in the match. I was grateful for the decision made by AFC as well as all those who worked hard to make this happen."

Together with assistants and compatriots, Ramzan Saeed M A Al-Naemi and Saoud Ahmed S A Almaqaleh, the trio will be supported by Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Khamis Mohammed S A Al-Marri from Qatar, who will oversee the implementation of the VAR system in the final of an AFC Club Competition for the first time.

In a virtual meeting, chaired by His Excellency (HE) Du Zhaocai, the AFC Referees Committee hailed the successful implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which marked its debut in the AFC Club Competitions from the Quarter-final stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League (West) in September.

The appointment was a testament to her pedigree as a top-quality former international referee having officiated matches in a series of FIFA women's tournaments. Successful as she was, however, Kamnueng quickly became aware of the added layer of challenges she would face.

One of the best regarded female referees China PR has ever seen, Cui was announced to join the match officials’ team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France. Just as she was working against the clock to prepare herself for her second women's football extravaganza - she worked as an assistant referee at Canada 2015 – Cui was urgently taken to hospital at the start of last year after an unexpected heart attack.

One woman, by the name of Doumouh Al Bakkar, has gone a step further step, however, making history by officiating several men’s games after becoming one of the leading referees of women’s football in Lebanon.