Who is the 'strange' referee who officiated the opening match between U.23 Vietnam and Bangladesh?

AFC has announced the identity of the referee to control the opening match of U.23 Vietnam in the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship qualifiers.

Asia's prestigious referee

This referee has never officiated in matches with the presence of Vietnamese football in any arena.

Match broadcast onFPT Play

Referee Mammedov Resul, Turkmenistan

Photo: Screenshot

Accordingly, referee Mammedov Resul, from Turkmenistan, will officiate the match between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Bangladesh. This young referee regularly participates in and successfully completes advanced courses of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. In continental tournaments such as the AFC Champions League, Mr. Mammedov Resul has also participated in many times in the management.

In particular, according to the latest update from FIFA, Mr. Mammedov Resul is considered one of the four most prestigious referees in Turkmenistan. Referee Resul was a graduate of the AFC Referee Academy, course 3.

Referee Mammedov Resul is not a familiar referee to Vietnamese football and the audience hopes that he and his assistants will manage the match fairly, helping the match to be successful.

This is a match without VAR (all matches of the U.23 Asia qualifiers do not use VAR).

What powerful 'weapons' does coach Kim Sang-sik have for the 2026 AFC U-23 qualifiers?

Speaking about tonight's match, coach Kim Sang-sik said that U.23 Vietnam is in good shape and has no serious injuries. Captain Khuat Van Khang only has a slight muscle strain but is capable of playing in the opening match against U.23 Bangladesh. "We approach each match with high concentration, considering each match equally important and the goal is to win each match," Mr. Kim emphasized.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trong-tai-la-bat-tran-ra-quan-u23-viet-nam-dau-bangladesh-la-ai-185250903093612778.htm