The event commenced with a keynote address from International Football Association Board (IFAB) Technical Director David Elleray, who shed light on the latest amendments to the Laws of the Game for the 2025/26 season.

Following the highly informative session, a range of activities were facilitated by AFC Technical Instructors, Ali Al Traifi of Saudi Arabia, Sachiko Yamagishi of Japan, and Ray Olivier of the United Kingdom.

Under the guidance of the AFC-appointed experts, the participants engaged in a range of activities and assessments designed to evaluate their theoretical knowledge, analytical skills, and ability to assess refereeing performances accurately.

On the opening day, the assessors underwent a series of tests that examined their understanding of the Laws of the Game and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocols, while also engaging in activities measuring their aptitude in identifying key match incidents.

Participants also demonstrated their ability to evaluate match performance using the Refereeing Performance Management platform – a dedicated match analysis tool that enables users to review video footage, assess referee performance, decision-making accuracy, and consistency in applying the Laws of the Game.

On the second day, the assessors were assigned an additional match for analysis, during which their ability to conduct a comprehensive post-match debriefing and deliver objective, constructive feedback in line with the AFC’s refereeing development framework was evaluated.

Designed to strengthen the existing pool of AFC referee assessors and ensuring participants meet the Confederation’s standards, the AFC Referee Assessors Certification 2025 marked another important step forward in the AFC’s efforts to establish the optimum environment for its match officials to grace the world’s biggest stages.