ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Concacaf has added another chapter to its illustrious history of referee trailblazing with the appointment of Mexican referee Cesar Arturo Ramos to Thursday’s AFC Asian Cup match between the United Arab Emirates and India.
Aided by assistant referees Miguel Hernandez and Alberto Morin, Ramos becomes the first Concacaf referee to officiate an AFC Asian Cup match as part of the referee exchange program previously set up by Concacaf and the AFC.
Thursday’s contest represents the latest achievement made by one of Concacaf’s top referees. A veteran Liga MX referee, Ramos also earned the distinction of refereeing the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup Final between Real Madrid and Gremio.
The Sinaloa native also officiated three matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia: Brazil-Switzerland and Poland-Colombia in the group phase, plus Uruguay-Portugal in the Round of 16.
Both the AFC and Concacaf have already reaped the rewards of their exchange program. Last April, Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan was appointed to the 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League semifinal second leg between Club America and Toronto FC.
Six months later in October 2018, Mark Geiger of the U.S. officiated the AFC Champions League semifinal between Korea Republic’s Suwon Bluewings and Japan’s Kashima Antlers.
For Concacaf Head of Refereeing Brian Hall, Ramos’ AFC Asian Cup appointment serves as another building block in the relationship between the two Confederations.
“The appointment of FIFA World Cup referee Cesar Ramos and his team to this important Asian Cup 2019 match is a proud moment for CONCACAF as we built on our partnership with the AFC for referee development,” said Hall via the AFC website.
“We thank the AFC for providing this opportunity to our referees,” concluded Hall.
