TEHRAN – Japanese international referee Ryuji Sato has been chosen to officiate Iran’s opening match in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Team Melli will meet Yemen in Group D of the competition on Monday at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Sato has refereed many matches in the AFC Champions League and FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the international level. He is also a referee in J. League Division 1 in Japan.

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup will be held in the UAE from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1.