Charity Shield 2020: 2011's world's top referee to officiate opening match

Head of the Russian Football Union and former referee, Hungary’s Viktor Kassai will referee the inaugural match of the local football season.

While the football season commences with a FA Charity Shield 2020 match, this game is scheduled for December 8.

Last year’s champions of the Dhiraagu Dhivehi League, Maziya Sports and Recreations Club is to compete against runner-up’s Club Eagles, in the FA Charity Shield Cup match.

Hungarian referee, Viktor Kassai, was voted the world’s top football referee in 2011 in a survey by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). He participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and refereed the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final.

While Kassai began had been a full international referee for FIFA since 2003, he retired in December 2019.

While the charity match is normally held between the champions of the Dhivehi Premier League and FA Cup of the previous season, a change was brought to hold the match between DPL's champions and runner-ups due to the cancellation of the FA Cup, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Advocating the Right of Children (ARC), Special Olympics Maldives and Blood Donors of Maldives have signed as partners for the charity match.

While the winning team of the match will receive MVR 100,000 as a prize, the money is traditionally donated to such charities. Football Association of Maldives (FAM) is yet to announce the amount to be allocated for donation, this year.

The Dhivehi Premier League 2020 will commence on December 13.