Uzbekistan’s AFC match official Ravshan Irmatov finishes international refereeing career

AKIPRESS.COM - Ravshan Irmatov announced he finishes his FIFA refereeing career.
The achievements of AFC leading match officials were celebrated at the AFC Refereeing Conference which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The opening ceremony honoured eight referees and assistant referees who were presented the AFC Referees Memento Award, Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan and Bahadyr Kochkarov of Kyrgyzstan among them. The officials were recognized for their outstanding service in raising the refereeing standards in Asia.
Irmatov, who is widely regarded as one of the best match officials in the world of refereeing, said: "It was a real honour to serve AFC for 17 seasons, I have very fond memories, after five AFC Champions League finals, four AFC Asian Cups two finals including three FIFA World Cups.
"This award is the achievement of the people who have taught me throughout my career. Without their effort and that of the AFC, it would be impossible to reach where I have.
"I would also like to thank my family members, assistants, friends and fans from Asia and Uzbekistan. I've always felt their warm support.
"I'm proud to be part of Asian football family. Now it's time to pass the mantle over to my younger colleagues. I'm sure they will put highest goal and work hard to achieve it," added the five-time AFC Referee of the Year award recipient.