Three Emirati referees, assistant refs to officiate at FIFA World Club Cup in February

Three Emiratis are among the seven referees, 12 assistant referees and seven video assistant referees (VAR) who will officiate at the FIFA World Club Cup which will take place in February 2021 in Qatar.

The FIFA Referees’ Committee released a list that includes Emirati referee Mohammed Abdullah Hassan and assistant referees Mohammed Al Hammadi and Hassan Al Mihri, according to a report carried by WAM.

Read: UAE Football Association signs MoU with Israeli FA

A team of female referees will also officiate at World Club Cup matches, headed by the Brazilian, Edina Alvis Batista, in line with the trend that began in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India in 2017, when Swiss referee Esther Staubli officiated in one match, followed by Uruguayan referee Claudia Umpiérrez in Brazil in 2019, also in the Under-17 World Cup.

The committee affirmed that the selected referees will complete their final preparations a week before the start of matches with health safeguards and precautionary measures in place.

The FIFA Club World Cup is set to take place from February 1 to 11 with seven clubs participating. Liverpool are the defending champions.