1. Alireza Faghani is an Iranian-Australian international football referee and former player, who has been on the international referees list for FIFA since 2008.
21 Facts About Alireza Faghani
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Alireza Faghani has refereed matches in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2019 AFC Asian Cup, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
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Alireza Faghani had migrated to Australia in September 2019, and now referees in the A-League Men, and as an Australian referee in international tournaments since 2023.
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Alireza Faghani was born on 21 March 1978 in Kashmar, a city near Mashhad.
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Alireza Faghani's father, Mohammad Faghani was a football referee.
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Alireza Faghani has a younger brother named Mohammadreza, who referees in Sweden.
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Alireza Faghani was part of the youth team of Bank Melli, and played for Shahab Khodro, Etka, and Niroye Zamini.
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Alireza Faghani played in Iran's League 2, the third tier of Iranian football.
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Alireza Faghani became a FIFA referee in 2008, only a year after officiating in the top flight league in Iran.
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Alireza Faghani was named as the fourth referee for the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia.
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Alireza Faghani refereed the 2014 AFC Champions League Final first leg match between Al-Hilal and Western Sydney Wanderers.
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Alireza Faghani refereed the 2009 Bangladesh Super Cup final between Dhaka Mohammedan and Dhaka Abahani on 27 March 2009.
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Alireza Faghani was appointed to referee the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, which was contested by South Korea and Australia.
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Alireza Faghani was the referee in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final between Club Atletico River Plate and FC Barcelona.
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Alireza Faghani was the referee in the 2016 Indian Super League Final between Kerala Blasters and ATK.
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Alireza Faghani was referee in six matches of the 2017 Liga 1 in Indonesia and two matches of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
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Alireza Faghani was appointed to be a referee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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On 5 December 2018, it was announced that Alireza Faghani had been appointed to referee at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
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In 2024, Alireza Faghani was selected to referee the 2023 AFC Asian Cup opener, representing Australia.
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The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement saying Alireza Faghani's decision was correct.
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Alireza Faghani received a torrent of social media abuse, leading to Football Australia issuing a statement saying that they are taking steps to protect and support their official.