Referees come in for praise

By S.R. Suryanarayan

CHENNAI, AUG. 28. Much has been said about the ground conditions in the Nehru Stadium, there being even suggestions that if the overall standards in the Federation Cup football tournament have dipped then the fault lay with the turf too. But what about refereeing, another vital component in the success or failure of a tournament? It must be said to the credit of the select band of referees present here that their ratings have only been enhanced, going by the opinion of none other than Mr. M. Maniam, an AFC instructor and former FIFA referee, here to assess them as part of a toning up exercise. It is Mr. Maniam's first visit to the country and surely the Federation Cup tournament has been a revelation.

``I cannot say that football standards are very high here, but they are not low either. But what impressed me is the way players accept the referee's rulings. This is a happy sign,'' he said. Mr. Maniam, who conducted daily physical training for the referees and also did postmortem of matches, was satisfied with the fitness level of the Indian officials.

``They are already able to run 2,900 metres which is compatible with AFC requirements. And I also noticed their sense of willingness to learn and improve in various decision makings,'' Mr. Maniam said, while claiming a fair degree of success with regard to underscoring the need for referees to be closer to the action, ensure 10-yard distance in free kicks and to be firm in dealing with time wasting tactics.

Echoing FIFA's stress on maintaining the entertainment value in football, Mr. Maniam said that a key to this was a referee's supervision. ``Keep continuity, and this means, fewer stoppages and being uncompromising on the rules with regard to free kicks,'' he said, while complimenting the referees for following the dictum in the later matches. ``You must have seen some beautiful free kick goals and that's what adds to the value of a contest,'' he added.

It is his view that players too had a major role in this by ensuring that they play to potential. ``I have seen some beautiful moves, great goals, but it beats me why the tempo is never sustained once a goal is gained,'' he said, while commending the attitude of newcomer to the tournament, Sporting Club de Goa.

Having said this, Mr. Maniam was not oblivious to talks of refereeing mistakes in this tournament. ``Who does not make a mistake?'' he countered. ``Does not a player miss a goal. As long as the error is not glaring it is to be accepted as part of the job,'' while defending his men on the supposed flaws. ``I was told about this match between Tollygunge and Sporting Goa. I saw the video. The penalty decision by Referee Pradip Kumar was perfect. Then the off-side decision by Shankar (Assistant Referee). The camera does not give a hundred per cent view and that makes it confusing. But Shankar's hand signal for play to continue makes it clear that it was close and he had seen it well,'' Mr. Maniam explained.

As an official who vibes with the media back home it was his view that referees need a little more consideration. ``Take it from me, some of these men I have seen are bound to rise high. Shankar is already a well known name in Asia and he could well officiate in the World Cup. I had seen Suresh's fine supervision in Singapore in a World Cup qualifier. These men need support,'' is his humble appeal.

After watching the action here, Mr. Maniam is certain Indian footballers have a career overseas, in Singapore itself. In particular Tomba Singh, the versatile Air India player, who reminded him of some of the best players in Singapore. As of now Singapore looked to Baichung Bhutia, currently with Bury FC in England, as the best Indian prospect for the professional league there. ``At least two or three clubs were interested last season. His transfer fee was high. But the clubs have told him the doors are not closed,'' he said, adding that on his return, he would recommend to Singapore clubs on the player-availability in India.

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