Kochi, Jun 3 (PTI) Senior sailor with the Indian Navy has been selected to referee the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers, scheduled to begin from June 8 in Malaysia.

Also Read | FIH Hockey 5s 2022: Live Streaming Online and TV Telecast, Indian Squads, Schedule and All You Need To Know About Inaugural Tournament.

Antony Abraham is a Master Chief Petty Officer - Physical Training and is presently serving onboard Indian Naval Ship Sujata based at Kochi, the Indian Navy said.

Also Read | Bandon Mein Tha Dum: Neeraj Pandey's Documentary Is All About India's 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy Historic Win Against Australia.

"The Master Chief is one among the two international referees in the services. He started his career as a referee in 2005, qualified as a national referee in 2012 and for FIFA in 2015. He is one among 18 FIFA qualified referees present in India," the Navy said in a release.

He has served as a referee in various national and international tournaments/league matches such as Santosh Cup, Federation Cup, ISL, World Cup Qualifiers and other FIFA events.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)