At the turn of the year the 34-year-old refereed the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final between Japan and Australia while last month his composed and confident match-handling skills were on show in the final of the AFC Champions League as Qataris Al Sadd defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in a thrilling climax to the 2011 edition of Asia's premier club competition.

Iramatov, who also had qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 Olympic Games on his agenda, saw off the challenge of Japan's Yuichi Nishimura and Khalil Al Ghamdi of Saudi Arabia and maintain his stranglehold on the most prestigious individual honour in Asian refereeing.

"This is the fourth award for me and I dedicate it to my children," said Irmatov after receiving the accolade from Worawi Makudi, FIFA Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the AFC Referees' Committee.

"All the previous ones were dedicated to my country and the people of Uzbekistan. I'm very happy with this achievement .

"We the referees are making very good preparations for future tournaments in Asia and even the for next World Cup. I hope we will be successful in all the upcoming competitions."