Referee Yahya Ali Almulla from the United Arab Emirates. — Photo VFF

HÀ NỘI — Yahya Ali Almulla, a referee from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been appointed to officiate the match between Việt Nam and Laos in the qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, as announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The match will take place on March 25 at Bình Dương Stadium, marking Việt Nams's opening game. Almulla will be assisted by three fellow referees from the UAE.

One of them, Abdullah Hassan, brings considerable experience, having officiated 149 matches across various competitions, including the UAE national championships, the U20 Asian Cup finals, World Cup qualifiers, the AFC Champions League Two, and the U23 Asian Cup finals. He also refereed two matches during the 2021 SEA Games.

Across his professional career, Yahya Ali Almulla has issued 623 yellow cards, 18 indirect red cards, 20 direct red cards and awarded 64 penalties.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team are currently training in preparation for the upcoming match. They will compete in Group F alongside Laos, Nepal and Malaysia, playing in a double round-robin format with home and away fixtures scheduled until March 2026. VNS