Breeze & Shield to Referee at the AFC Asian Cup

Australian referees Mark Shield & Matthew Breeze have been selected as two (2) of the fifteen (15) referees to officiate at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2007.

Australian referees Mark Shield & Matthew Breeze have been selected as two (2) of the fifteen (15) referees to officiate at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2007. The appointment of Australia's two leading referees comes off the back of strong performances by both Mark and Matthew throughout the AFC Champions League competition and other AFC international fixtures. Their selection is also notable for the fact that Australia will be the only nation in the tournament with two referee representatives from the same country.

"It's a great honour to be selected to referee at a major confederation tournament such as the AFC Asian Cup," said Breeze today.

"Having two referees from Australia selected on the panel also shows the high esteem that the AFC has of Australian referees."

Mark Shield was equally thrilled after hearing news of his appointment.

“It's fantastic to receive an appointment to the top football competition in Asia and it's even better that two Aussies have been selected,” said Shield

"Having refereed quite a few games in the region since Australia become part of the AFC, I'm expecting the matches to be very fast, exciting and challenging.

Breeze and Shield will join their fellow referees in Kuala Lumpur on the 30th of June to prepare for the tournament and receive their first match appointments.