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AIFF’s two-day seminar for referees concludes

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: As a preparatory exercise on the official front for the conduct of the Santosh Trophy National football championship in four centres in the State from May 24, a set of 40 referees and assistant referees participated in a two-day seminar which concluded here on Thursday.

This is the first time that AIFF had come forth to organise this “brushing up” exercise to keep the referees well tuned to the occasion and also to ensure their contribution to the improvement of the standard of play in the championship.

“This is a group of experienced and young referees of whom at least 15 of them had just done duty in the I-League matches,” said AIFF Referees Instructor and former FIFA referee J. Ravi Shankar, one of the coordinators of the seminar.

The idea was to ensure everybody was fit and quite adept in implementing the various rules of the game in a uniform way. Practical classes, discussions and watching video clippings of famous world-level matches formed the content of the programme.

As Anthony D’Costa, another AIFF Instructor who is also in the AFC panel put it while winding up the session, “what you had been through is knowing the guidelines and it is now for you to make the best use of them. You will be watched,” he told the referees.

Ravi Shankar said it was for the first time that the referees were being posted with a stress on neutrality.

“We have taken care that they are posted where their State is not playing. We want not only to be unbiased but show it too,” he said.

At the concluding session, Col. Gautham Kar, Assistant General Secretary AIFF and AFC and AIFF instructor, once again underlined the duties of the referees while on field and when off it, in particular on the importance of providing a comprehensive report on the match they officiate. “Concise and clear views are the need”, he stressed.

Togetherness

Expressing happiness for attending the seminar, FIFA referee Ajjagowder Arjunan of the Services said, “it brings a touch of togetherness, getting all of us here and also helps us interact well. This is a positive development,” he felt.

Others who were involved in the seminar were former World Cup Assistant referee K. Shankar, Pradeep Nag, B.K. Singh and Walter Pereira (all AIFF Instructors). Veteran administrator and Chairman, Referees Board T.R. Govindarajan, was a special invitee.

The officials thanked the CFA referees chief Chittibabu for all the help provided.

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