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The match officials for the 2023 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup – Thailand that kicks off tomorrow are ready to go after successfully completing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Beach Soccer Referees Course on Wednesday.
Held for the first time since 2019, the five-day course took place from March 11 to 15 in the Thai city of Pattaya, which will host the 10th edition of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup from March 16 to 26.
As many as five technical assessors – Iranian Seyedsadreddin Mousavi, Japan’s Masahiro Sakurada, the United Arab Emirates duo of Mohammed Saeed Humaid Yaaqoub Alshanasi and Ebrahim Yousef Khalaf Jaber Almansoori, and Bakhtiyor Namazov from Uzbekistan as well as fitness instructor – Ahmad Khalidi Bin Supian from Malaysia – oversaw the participation of 20 referees from 14 Member Associations who are set to officiate at the Jomtien Beach Arena.
The participants were given a refresher on the latest amendments to the FIFA Beach Soccer Laws of the Game as well as their match roles and responsibilities.
Practical training sessions were held at the tournament venue to impart realism to match scenarios, while the referees also had to undergo rigorous fitness checks. In addition, a series of classroom sessions covered topics such as the management of free-kicks and penalty kicks, the four-second rule, and the referees’ positioning and movement.
The conclusion of the fourth edition of the course equips the referees for the 2023 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup – Thailand, which features 16 teams and kicks off with the Group B clash between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Malaysia on Thursday, March 16 at 3.30pm.
Defending champions Japan are seeking a record fourth triumph, with the top three finishers qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup – UAE in November.
