Three A-Leagues officials were awarded the honour of refereeing the FIFA Club World Final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on Monday morning AEST.
Alireza Faghani was the central referee for the match, which was won 3-0 by Chelsea thanks to a double from Player of the Match Cole Palmer and a goal from new signing Joao Pedro in front of 81,188 fans in New Jersey.
His assistant referees also hailed from the A-Leagues, with Anton Shchetinin and Ashley Beecham running the sidelines.
The trio – alongside Shaun Evans – have been representing at the tournament for the last month as some of the world’s best football sides competed in the United States in a new-look 32-team tournament.
Footage has been released of the moment Faghani found out he would take charge of the final, with the A-Leagues referee personally handed over his shirt for the final by the legendary Pierluigi Collina, who is now the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“This was an important moment of this competition because when we announce the team of match officials who are appointed for the final, it is a great moment,” Collina told FIFA.
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“So this was the moment when we announced which members of the team will be on the field of play at Metlife Stsadium.
“When we decided the referee for the final, we always take into account several factors.
“Of course, the performances delivered during the competition.
“When we started the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, we told the referees that we hoped to be put in a difficult position because of the general standard of the performances delivered by every member of team one and they did it.
“They really put us in a very difficult position, because there were many referees who would have deserved to be in the final.
“We chose Alireza Faghani and the rest of the team, because we think, we are convinced, that this is the best team for the final.
“I hope that the team, our match officials of the 63rd match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be at the same standard of the teammates during the competition.
“We are very confidence that this will be the case.”
Faghani, Shchetinin and Beecham were handed medals after the match by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump.
“First of all, I have to just express my feelings. This is the first (FIFA) Club World Cup and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of this important tournament of FIFA,” Faghani told FIFA after learning of his appointment.
“I feel great, actually. We [were busy for] two weeks with preparation regarding all aspects and then, finally, I received the final game.
“Every tournament, it’s a privilege for us to be a part of the tournament. As I said, we had two weeks’ preparation. We worked on all aspects: team tactics, practical and, also, medical.
“We started the tournament in this way and, hopefully, all of the referees were on the same page and, at the end of the day, I think the teams were also happy [with] the referees’ performance.
“And I have to thank all the people who are behind the scenes, like administration, the instructors, and everybody who just pushes us to be prepared for the tournament.
“I’m 47 years old. This will be one of my last tournaments. It’s a pleasure, really, to be a part of the FIFA (Club World Cup) tournament, and I try to enjoy every moment.
“Nothing is a surprise for us because we have been working (on) every aspect, so it will be a good game from both teams, and we are trying to do our best and be the best team in [Sunday’s] match.”
