This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

The Japanese referee Masaaki Toma will on Saturday become the first non-British or Irish official to take charge of an FA Cup fixture.

Toma is in the UK as part of a referee exchange programme and has been selected to officiate the first-round match between Brentford and Basingstoke Town.

Toma, who was the referee when England played Mexico in a friendly last year, has already taken on a reserve-team match between Bolton and Sunderland and a Conference North fixture.

David Elleray, the chairman of the FA's Referees Committee, said: "Masaaki Toma is a world-class referee and his appointment shows that the FA Cup really does hold global appeal."