Through this partnership, participants from the AFC Referee Academy will officiate in league matches under the FAS’ auspices, including the FAS Super League and FAS Premier League, which will enhance their learning journey and provide valuable evaluation opportunities for the AFC Referee Educators. In return, the AFC will share its expertise by sending Referee Educators to the FAS to contribute to knowledge-sharing and resource exchange.

The MoA was signed by AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John and FAS General Secretary Izrin Nabil.

 

AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said: “The AFC is firmly committed to nurturing the best refereeing talent in Asia and looks forward to working closely together with the FAS in this unique partnership, which we are confident will both greatly benefit the aspiring referees from our landmark AFC Referee Academy as well as the referee development programmes of the FAS.”

Established in 2017, the AFC Referee Academy is the first dedicated academy to be launched by any Confederation and aims to increase the number of AFC Referees at world-class level while also extending development support to the AFC Member Associations (MAs).

 

Over 200 men and women referees from 39 AFC Member Associations have graduated or are in the midst of benefitting from the  Academy’s all-inclusive curriculum, which welcomed its latest batch of entrants in September this year. The Academy has produced a constant stream of top level match officials, with 52 alumni already part of the AFC Elite Panel, underlining the AFC’s desire to remain at the forefront of world refereeing.