{"id":26549,"date":"2016-11-21T15:29:17","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T23:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/?p=26549"},"modified":"2016-11-21T15:29:17","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T23:29:17","slug":"faghani-jacewicz-hail-teamwork-for-landmark-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/2016\/11\/21\/faghani-jacewicz-hail-teamwork-for-landmark-achievement\/","title":{"rendered":"Faghani, Jacewicz hail teamwork for landmark achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, From an early age, football was far more than just a game for Alireza Faghani. For the 38-year-old, the passion for football and refereeing runs deep in his family roots.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI come from a family of referees. Both my brother and brother-in-law are referees. My father and father-in-law were also professional referees in the Iranian league back home. They had a big influence on me. I spent hours watching and studying them.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom 16 years of age, I always knew refereeing was my calling,\u201d Faghani told the-AFC.com in an exclusive after receiving the AFC Referees Special Award 2016 alongside his Islamic Republic of Iran compatriots Reza Sokhandan and Mohammad Reza Mansouri in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The IR Iran trio made Asian history during the Rio Olympics 2016 when they were selected to officiate the final of the Men’s Football Tournament in August. \u201cReza and Mohammad have been fantastic and together, we have formed a great partnership. As a centre referee, you need to be aware of every detail on the pitch and they have made my life so much easier,\u201d added Faghani.<\/p>\n

While the chemistry between the trio produced one of the proudest moments for Asian refereeing this year, the unassuming Faghani was also quick to praise his continent\u2019s counterparts for a stellar year. \u201cThis special award is dedicated to all referees in Asia. Through the AFC programmes and seminars that we have attended together, we have grown closer and we are all inspired to give our best each time we enter the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must express my gratitude to the AFC instructors and all Asian referees. There is an entire team working continuously behind the scene and none of this would have been possible without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing his sentiments, Australia\u2019s Kate Jacewicz, who alongside fellow countrywoman Renae Coghill and India\u2019s Uvena Fernandes, received the award in the women\u2019s category after being the first-ever AFC women\u2019s team to officiate the all-Asian final in the FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup in Jordan last month and attributed the accolade to the teamwork and solidarity of her peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cRenae and Uvena are consummate professionals. During training and preparation, they have always given 100% and they are extremely committed to ensuring that we work well as a unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the seminar today, this is precisely the type of programmes that allows us to sharpen our abilities,\u201d revealed Jacewicz, referring to the first-ever combined women\u2019s and men\u2019s Elite Referees and Assistant Referees Seminar, which opened after the awards ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth male and female referees have a journey. They have a story to tell and different experiences which we can learn from. Gender doesn\u2019t discriminate and through sharing our stories, we will benefit and grow together,\u201d added the New South Wales native who began refereeing in Australia\u2019s national women\u2019s league at just 18 years of age, before becoming a FIFA referee eight years later.<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, Jacewicz hopes to emulate the achievements of her accomplished AFC instructors and referees, many of whom have paved the way for today\u2019s generation of men and women referees.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy ultimate aim is to officiate at the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup 2019 in France. In the meantime, I am taking it one step at a time and will continue studying our elite referees and AFC instructors. I especially look to DPR Korea\u2019s Ri Hyang-ok, Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan and of course Faghani for inspiration. All of them are beautiful to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo: AFC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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