The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has assigned referee Heidari Payam (Iran) to officiate the match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Kyrgyzstan in the second match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals.
The Iranian referee's officiating is a detail that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need to pay special attention to, because he is famous for his very strict refereeing style.
Mr. Heidari Payam is a FIFA referee since 2015, and has worked in major continental tournaments for many years. Accompanying him in this match are two assistants Farhad Farhadpoor and Ali Ahmadi (both Iranian), while the referee is Mr. Zaid Thamer Mohammed (Iraq). AFC also appointed a VAR team including Mr. Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) and assistant Luk Kin Sun (Hong Kong, China).
The most notable point lies in the refereeing style. According to statistics, in the 2025-2026 season, Mr. Heidari Payam has drawn up to 70 yellow cards after only 15 official matches, an average of nearly 5 cards per match, along with 3 red cards and 4 penalty situations.
This number shows that he does not hesitate to strictly handle fouls, including normal collisions. In the previous season, the number of yellow cards that this "black-clad king" used even exceeded the 100-card mark.
Referee Heidari Payam also attracted attention at SEA Games 33 when he issued a direct red card to the captain of U22 Laos in the match against U22 Malaysia. This decision continues to affirm his tough stance in maintaining discipline on the pitch.
In that context, U23 Vietnam needs to have careful preparation in terms of psychology and playing style. In the opening match against U23 Jordan, the red shirt team received 3 yellow cards, showing that the risk of fines is still present if the players do not control the contesting situations well.
In a short-day tournament, where every point, goal difference and sub-index are very important, losing a player or being suspended due to a card can greatly affect the overall situation of the group. Even in many cases when the score - goal difference is equal, the rules will consider the number of yellow cards and red cards.
Therefore, when entering the match against U23 Kyrgyzstan, U23 Vietnam not only needs to focus on expertise but also must be especially cautious in each tackle, keeping their "cold heads" to avoid unnecessary errors under the strict management of referee Heidari Payam.
