The identity of the 'king in black' has been determined, U.23 Vietnam and Coach Kim must be careful

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have to be very careful and carefully calculate their playing style in the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers as the main referees who will be taking charge of Group C will be judged very strictly.

As the Group 1 seed of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, Vietnam U23 avoided most of the strongest opponents in their age group. The draw results put coach Kim Sang-sik's team in Group C, with the presence of Singapore U23, Bangladesh and Yemen. This is considered a group with an equal strength, as the opponents are not too superior in terms of level. Bangladesh U23 and Singapore U23 have not very strong forces, are underestimated in the continental playground, while Yemen U23 has a physical playing style but also lacks stability. With an even force in all 3 lines, Vietnam U23 has a complete opportunity to win the top spot to continue if they show their true strength. According to the plan, all matches of Group C will take place at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ), from September 3 to 9. Coach Kim Sang-sik's students are also the leaders of this group.

U.23 Vietnam (red shirt) hosts the group and the goal is nothing more than to win first place to reach the finals.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

5 main referees, including "acquaintances"

In preparation for the group stage in Vietnam, the identities of the referees and supervisors were also revealed. Accordingly, Mr. Ronny John Suhatril (Indonesia) and Jung Hy-un (Korea) will be in charge of supervising the match, while Mr. Saad KM Alfadhli (Kuwait) and Mr. Kamikawa Toru (Japan) will be the referee supervisors.

The main referees who officiated at Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers are also very prestigious and strict. Mr. Choi Hyun-jai, a Korean referee, is the first to be mentioned. Referee Choi Hyun-jai is quite famous in Korea and is often assigned by the Korean Football Association (KFA) to officiate at the K-League. At the 31st SEA Games, Mr. Choi Hyun-jai, along with his assistants Salybaev (Kyrgyzstan), Hasan Kanso (Lebanon), and Ammar Ashkanani (Kuwait), officiated the match between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Indonesia. At that time, U.23 Vietnam was led by coach Park Hang-seo and won 3-0. In 2023, when the U.23 Vietnam team won the Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, Mr. Choi Hyun-jai was also one of the referees who officiated the tournament. At the same time, in October 2024, when the Vietnamese team drew 1-1 with the Indian team in a friendly match, Mr. Choi Hyun-jai was also one of the referees who officiated this match.

Mr. Choi Hyun-jai has been on duty at matches involving Vietnamese players.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

The second referee assigned to officiate is Mr. Thoriq Munir Alkatiri, an Indonesian. Mr. Thoriq Munir Alkatiri has been working in the Indonesian championship (Liga 1) since 2013 and was promoted to the FIFA international referee list just 1 year later. With his talent, he quickly gained trust and participated in officiating many matches in the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup. Up to now, Mr. Thoriq Munir Alkatiri has also refereed 147 matches. Referee Thoriq Munir Alkatiri is also considered very strict when he has issued 510 yellow cards (an average of 3.4 yellow cards/match) and 29 red cards (an average of 0.2 red cards/match). In the group stage of the AFF Cup 2018, when the Vietnamese team defeated the Lao team 3-0 away, Mr. Thoriq Munir Alkatiri was the main referee.

The third referee appointed to officiate in Vietnam is Mr. Mammedov Resul, a Turkmenistani. He is a young referee but often participates in and successfully completes advanced courses of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. In continental tournaments such as the AFC Champions League, Mr. Mammedov Resul has also participated in many times. Notably, according to the latest update of FIFA, Mr. Mammedov Resul is considered one of the four most prestigious referees of Turkmenistan.

Mr. Mammedov Resul is one of the elite referees of Turkmenistan.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Mr. Yahya Ahmed Ibrahim Al Balushi, an Omani, will also be one of the main referees in Viet Tri in the near future. Referee Yahya Ahmed Ibrahim Al Balushi is 33 years old this year but mainly referees domestic matches, rarely officiating international matches. Up to now, Mr. Yahya Ahmed Ibrahim Al Balushi has only participated in 16 international matches, including 6 main matches and 10 matches as the 4th assistant. The Omani referee is also "benign" when he has only drawn 1 yellow card.

Meanwhile, the last referee to be confirmed as the main referee in Vietnam is Mr. Arab Baraghi Amir, an Iranian. Mr. Arab Baraghi Amir is 32 years old this year and has been a FIFA referee since 2020. According to FIFA, Mr. Arab Baraghi Amir is in the top 10 most prestigious referees in Iran at present. Up to now, referee Arab Baraghi Amir has officiated 67 times and drawn a total of 179 yellow cards (an average of 2.7 yellow cards/match).

Mr. Arab Baraghi Amir is a prestigious referee in Iran

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

In addition to the above main referees, the identities of the assistant referees have also been determined, including: referee Luo Zheng (Chinese), Bangbang Syamsudar (Indonesian), Cheon Jin-hee (Korean), Begnazarov Ahmet (Turkmenistan), Amirmohamad Davoudzadeh (Iranian) and Mr. Mohammed Said Salim Juma Al Ghazali (Oman).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/danh-tinh-vua-ao-den-duoc-xac-dinh-u23-viet-nam-cung-hlv-kim-phai-can-trong-185250825153034049.htm