Doha: A sizable cast of five referees will represent Qatar at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, as the AFC revealed the final list of referees for Asia’s most notable tournament. With the expansion of Asia’s most prestigious tournament from 16 to 24 teams, a record 60 match officials – comprising 30 referees and assistant referees each – have been appointed to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, which is scheduled to kick-off in one month’s time on January 5, 2019. Abdulrahman Al Jassim, Khamis Al Kuwari Khamis Al Mari in addition to assistant referees Taleb Salem and Saud Ahmed all made the final list. The largest-ever contingent, which will also be supported by four reserve officials, will see a diverse range of nationalities, with 19 Member Associations represented across the five AFC zones. The Continent’s best referees and assistant referees were selected based on their skill, technical knowledge, management competence and physical fitness. They will be expected to perform various roles including Additional Assistant Referees, Reserve Assistant Referees as well as Video Assistant Referees (VAR), which will come into force from the quarter-final stage. The appointments are a culmination of a robust and comprehensive preparation programme dating back to the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015. Since then, ten seminars have been organised to ensure optimum consistency and uniformity and the highest level of refereeing standards. As the Continent shifts its attention to the UAE, a final preparatory course is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi five days prior to the competition, which has been designed specifically to focus on the seamless implementation of the VAR system.