A refereeing team from Uzbekistan has been appointed to work at the Asian Champions League qualification matches for the 2026/27 season.
A refereeing team from Uzbekistan has been appointed to work at the Asian Champions League qualification matches for the 2026/27 season.
On August 11, as part of the AFC Champions League 2026/27 qualification round, there will be a match between Adelaide United and Cong An Hanoi, which will be entirely managed by the Uzbek refereeing team. Asker Najafaliev has been appointed as the main referee for this game, assisted by Bahodirkhodja Shavkatov and Ruslan Serazitdinov. Abdurashid Khudoyberganov will serve as the reserve referee.
Furthermore, Uzbek specialist Valentin Kovalenko will participate in another qualification match—the game between the South Korean club Ganwon and the Japanese Gamba Osaka. Kovalenko has been appointed as the refereeing team inspector and will monitor the activity of the referees during the game.
Another news item mentions that Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, managed to retain his position following a major scandal related to World Cup rights. Following a lengthy seven-hour summit held in Rabat, the FIFA executive committee, together with Secretary General Matthias Grafström, approved the powers of the current head of the organization.
The Asian Football Confederation approved a number of decisions concerning continental football at its regular Executive Committee meeting.
According to the adopted decisions, Uzbekistan will be the host country for the U-17 Asian Football Championship in 2027. Furthermore, it was determined that the 2029 tournament will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Japan was also appointed as the host of the U-23 Asian Championship in 2028. This tournament will serve as a qualifier for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Changes were introduced to the regulations for club and youth competitions at the meeting. The holding of the 'AFC Champions League Elite' tournament in a new format with 32 teams in the 2026/27 season was approved, as was the modernization of the selection system for the U-20 Asian Championship.
