AFC Asian Cup 2023: First Asian Cup woman referee Yamashita to officiate Australia vs India

The 37-year-old is among five officials who will be the first women to referee matches at the men’s Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10.

FILE PHOTO: Referee Yoshimi Yamashita during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Group E match between USA and Netherlands at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita will become the first woman referee to officiate a men’s AFC Asian Cup match on Saturday when she takes charge of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Group B game between former champions Australia and India, Asia’s football body AFC said on Thursday.

Yamashita will be supported by assistant referees Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi, making it an all-female trio who will oversee the encounter at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

The trio have already teamed up in club matches at the 2019 AFC Cup, the 2022 AFC Champions League and Japan’s J1 League last year.

Yamashita, who is the first professional woman referee from Japan, arrives in Doha with the experience of two women’s World Cups under her belt while she was also a match official at the 2022 World Cup.

The 37-year-old is among five officials who will be the first women to referee matches at the men’s Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10.