Sport
Afghan refs make history after being selected for AFC Cup matches
The Afghan Football Federation has announced that Afghanistan’s Halim Agha Shirzad, an accredited international referee, has been selected as a referee for the B and C group stages of the AFC Cup matches in the West Asian region.
Nangiali Sadat has also been selected as an assistant referee for Group B and C matches.
The AFC Cup is the second official tournament after the AFC Champions League, which is played between the top clubs in the central, west and south of Asia.
The group matches will be held from May 21 to May 27 in Amman in Jordan.
Teams from Group B – Al Celt Jordan; Balata Center Palestine; Al Nasr Lebanon; and Moharraq Bahrain, along with Tishrin Syria, Al Faisali Jordan, and Al Sib Oman will compete, while Kuwait and Palestine (Group C) will also compete.
This is the first time Afghan referees will take part in Asia club tournaments – although Shirzad had been selected to participate last year. The tournament was however cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.