Leading Asian refereeing in the milestone implementation is none other than Mohammed Abdulla Mohamed from the UAE, who will supported by Assistant Referees, Mohamed Alhammadi and Hassan Almahri, who featured in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Emirati trio, who will be supported by compatriot and fourth official Ammar Aljneibi, officiated the Group C match between France and Peru in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Australia’s Christopher Beath has been appointed as the VAR and will be assisted by Muhammad Taqi Bin Jahari from Singapore as well as Italian Paolo Valeri.

In addition to organising a comprehensive series of VAR specific workshops since September last year, the AFC has also successfully completed a robust test of the system during the Round of 16 stage across the four quarter-final venues.

These include the Zayed Sport City Stadium and Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain’s Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.

From a starting field of 24 teams, only an exclusive eight remain, with four mouth-watering matches - each containing a former champion - set to be played on Thursday and Friday.

Having begun the internship in 2018 in the home changing room of Zayed Sports City Stadium, where they were treated to an inspirational team talk by no other than Dubai Eye talk show host, Chris McHardy, the interns spent three months from June to September travelling the country, inspiring people from all nationalities and cultures to unite behind the tournament.

Their experience saw them plan community activities, organise cultural days, attend workshops and lend support across all LOC departments with a unifying ambition in ‘Bringing Asia Together’.

The group, comprising five drummers of Emirati and Japanese heritage, thrilled fans in the beachside location with a traditional taiko percussion that filled the air with a pulsating beat.

Speaking after the performance a member of the band, Tayammum Al Katheeri said: “Being an Emirati, a lot of people ask me how I am related to Japanese music and why I do it. It was my brother who initially introduced me and then I came across this group, which is cross cultural, and it has been the best thing ever since.”

“The AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is bringing people together from all over the world so what better way to showcase unity and togetherness through this music, which does exactly that,” he added.

Tayammum’s brother, Taryam, said Kharsha Drums aspires to promote a positive culture exchange between the UAE and Japan through their performance of the Japanese percussion art.

With the opening phase of the competition now complete, the-AFC.com looks at some of the statistical leaders, and numerical highlights of the AFC Asian Cup's opening two weeks.

The AFC's team, known as Technical Study Group (TSG), are an experienced group of technical analysts who will analyse all 51 matches of the largest ever edition of the tournament.

The AFC Asian Cup Technical Report is produced by coaches for coaches, but it is also a publication which has traditionally been of interest to officials, media and fans.

With the captivating action on the pitch, universities in the UAE have committed to the Continental showpiece by bringing diverse groups of students together, using the power of football to unite and engage, giving students an opportunity to attend matches.

Four dedicated University Days will be taking place across each host city, with hundreds of students kicking-off the programme in Abu Dhabi when they attended Thursday’s epic contest between Korea Republic and China PR, which saw the Taeguk Warriors seal a 2-0 victory at the Al Nahyan Stadium.