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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s pursuit of nurturing elite refereeing talent has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of Asian officials to the upcoming UEFA Women’s U17 Championship and UEFA U17 Championship.
These appointments follow the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two confederations, aimed at strengthening the global refereeing landscape through technical cooperation, exchange programmes, and long-term development initiatives.
The historic milestone will see China PR’s Dong Fangyu and Xie Lijun become the first candidates to participate in the exchange when the UEFA Women’s U17 Championship kicks off in Northern Ireland on May 4.
A graduate of the AFC Referees Academy, Dong has quickly cemented herself as one of Asia’s most capable referees, having also been selected to officiate the opening match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™.
Joining her as assistant referee, Xie was likewise part of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ opener between Australia and the Philippines.
The China PR duo also etched their names into the history books, being among the first group of women officials to officiate at the AFC U17 Asian Cup™. Both officials also earned their maiden appointments in an AFC men’s club competition when they officiated the AFC Champions League Two™ Group Stage match between Japan’s Gamba Osaka and Thailand’s Ratchaburi FC last year.
Among the men, Uzbekistan’s Asker Nadjafaliev and Ruslan Serazitdinov have been selected from the AFC’s roster of officials for the UEFA U17 Championship, to be held in Estonia from May 25 to June 7.
Asker, also an alumnus of the AFC Referees Academy, officiated at both the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ and the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025™, where he was supported by Serazitdinov in the role of assistant referee.
Meanwhile, the upcoming AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in China PR and AFC U17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia will see selected UEFA officials appointed to these competitions, further enhancing knowledge-sharing across administrative and operational areas between the two Confederations.
