Australian assistant referee Allyson Flynn has become the first woman to officiate in an AFC senior men’s tournament, drawing praise from AFC officials.
Australian assistant referee Allyson Flynn has become the first woman to officiate in an AFC senior men-s tournament, drawing praise from AFC officials.
The 31-year-old - voted 2013 AFC Assistant Referee of the Year - assisted Aussie whistleblower Chris Beath in last week-s AFC Cup 2014 Group E match between Singapore-s Home United and Persipura Jayapura from Indonesia, which ended 1-1.
And AFC Referees Committee member Toru Kamikawa, who was the Assessor in the match, praised the performance of Flynn.
“She has all the qualities required of an assistant referee at this level and it would certainly help her development if she was appointed to more men-s tournaments,” he said of the A-League and W-League assistant referee.
Flynn was part of an Australian trio that also included fellow assistant referee Ashley Beecham, while Vietnam-s Dinh Van Dung served as the fourth official.
“There were some difficult situations but I was confident and never doubted that I had done my best,” said Flynn.
Flynn and compatriot Sarah Ho, who will also feature in the AFC Cup, were appointed after the AFC Referees Committee had studied their performances during the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers.
“The AFC has opened the door for women to officiate in men-s tournaments but the AFC never compromises on standards and only those who are qualified will be appointed,” said Yoshimi Ogawa, Director of the AFC Referees Department.