Fadhil Yunus
Brunei Darussalam top match official Abdul Hakim bin Mohd Haidi was assigned as the referee in a Group ‘B’ match between Laos and Malaysia at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship at the Prince Stadium yesterday.
The internationally-certified referee was joined by a refereeing team which included compatriot Mohammad Faisal Ali as the first assistant referee.
The Cambodia assignment represents another major international appearance for the duo’s burgeoning career having experienced high-level officiating in recent times.
The local referees, who are recognised by international governing body FIFA, have been previously entrusted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to undertake their duties in the AFC Cup last season.
In June last year, Abdul Hakim received his most significant appointment yet when he was appointed as the referee in a Group ‘J’ match between Athletic 220 and Eastern at the Hong Kong Stadium.
Similarly, Mohammad Faisal also had an important assignment as the first assistant referee in the same match.
Abdul Hakim is one of six referees based in Southeast Asia involved in the competition alongside Indonesia’s Yadi Nurcahya, Laos’ Souei Vongkam, Malaysia’s Tuan Yaasin Hanafiah, Thailand’s Warintorn Sassadee and Vietnam’s Ngo Duy Lan.
The Group ‘B’ tie ended 2-1 in favour of Laos.
