FIFA World Cup
A well-respected international match official, Alireza Faghani has taken charge of a number of high-profile matches in Asia and beyond and is widely regarded as amongst the best in the world of refereeing.
In this exclusive interview with the-AFC.com, Faghani shares his insights on being selected for the FIFA World Cup for the third time and talks about his preparations leading up to the showpiece.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Match Official | Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Who is Alireza Faghani?
Faghani became a FIFA referee in 2008 and by 2009, he was elevated to an elite referee before going on to feature prominently in the AFC’s competitions including the AFC Asian Cup™, the AFC Champions League™ and the AFC Cup™.
He refereed two matches at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™ as well as four matches at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 including the third-place play-off match between Belgium and England, two matches at the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 and also the gold medal match at the 2016 Olympic Games Men’s Football tournament between Germany and Brazil.
He was named the AFC Referee of the Year in 2016 and 2018 and is probably best remembered by Asian football fans as the referee for the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015™ Final between the Socceroos and Korea Republic in Sydney.
Qatar 2022 will be Faghani’s third stint at the FIFA World Cup after making his debut at the 2014 edition in Brazil as a Support Referee.