AFC Elite Assistant Referee Mohammad Ali of Peshawar became the first referee from Pakistan to get selected to officiate in the final round of the AFC U-19 Football Championship which is set to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in October this year.
The tournament will strengthen 36-year-old Ali’s chances to participate in the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
“I am very happy about the achievement,” said Ali. “However, I wouldn’t have been here without the Pakistan Football Federation’s help.
“I also want to thank the Professional Referees Association of Pakistan for helping me become who I am today,” Ali said in a press release from the Pakistan Football Federation’s social media pages.
Ali is the director of the sports department at the Khyber Medical College in Peshawar.