Four Australians, including three Queenslanders, have been appointed to officiate at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Brisbane-based referees Chris Beath and Peter Green and assistant referee Anton Shchetinin, alongside South Australian Matthew Cream, will represent Australia at the tournament which kicks off on January 5.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chief Executive Officer David Gallop congratulated the quartet on their appointments by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
“Match officials from 19 Member Associations across the five AFC zones have been selected to officiate games in the UAE and it is fantastic that Australia and by extension the Hyundai A-League through the appointments of Chris, Peter, Anton, and Matthew, will be strongly represented,” Gallop said.
“We wish Chris, Peter, Anton, and Matthew all the best in the UAE, and look forward to watching their performances on the international stage.”
FFA’s Director of Referees Ben Wilson explained the match officials had earned their place at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 following a comprehensive process dating back to the conclusion of the tournament in Australia in January 2015.
“Between 2015 and 2018, 10 seminars have been organised by AFC with match official candidates to ensure there will not only be a high standard of refereeing at next year’s AFC Asian Cup, but also maximum consistency when it comes to decision making game to game,” Wilson said.
“Our referees have taken part in many of the seminars and the feedback that we have received from AFC has been overwhelmingly positive.”
For more information, and to see the full list of match officials going to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, please click here.