The UAE Football Association has praised Emirati referee Mohammed Abdullah Hassan after he made his World Cup debut on Thursday.
Hassan was part of an all-Emirati team to officiate the Group C match between France and Peru at Central Stadium in Yetkaterinburg. His assistants for the encounter were Mohammed Ahmed Al Hammadi and Hassan Al Mahry.
Hassan cautioned four players, two from each side and including French midfielder Paul Pogba, but had to revoke one yellow card after a case of mistaken identity was spotted by VAR. Edison Flores’ booking was rescinded and given to Peru teammate Pedro Aquino.
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Abdulla Naser Al Junaibi, the FA vice-president and chairman of the Pro League Committee, told The National: “The selection of Emirati officials for the World Cup is testament to the quality of UAE refereeing and a sign of success for football in the country.
"The three officials did very well in the match and proved worthy of being among the elite officials on the global stage. They proved that Emirati professionals are capable of competing at the highest level of the sport.”
Hassan, who served as fourth official for Germany's Group F opener against Mexico last Sunday in Moscow, will hope to officiate again in Russia, although Fifa do not release those details until closer to match day.
