By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Former national referee Madon Shangpliang said that the shortage of referees is a problem in almost every North Eastern state because the job is not attractive enough for people to take up at a professional level.
The one state in the region not to have this problem is Manipur, he added.
“We have seen there a quite a number of national referees from Manipur who have earned a name for their ability to conduct football matches in an impartial manner. Many of the referees from Manipur are in the All India Football Federation elite panel,” Shangpliang told reporters on Saturday after conducting a refresher course for the local referees appointed to oversee the Under-19 Shillong Premiere League, which is scheduled to start on June 3.
He said that the main reason attributable for the shortage of referees is inadequate payment and lack of faclities.
“The referees in the region are lowly paid because the job of referees here is an honourary one. To attract people to take up this job, we have to provide better remuneration and facilities for them,” Shangpliang said.
The former referee, however, is of of the view that this is not going to happen in the immediate future since refereeing in the state has a long way to go.
“Our referees would have to change their mindset. They have to think in a more professional manner and also become more organised. At present, this is not happening since they are concentrating on petty things rather than on achieving a higher level of excellence,” he opined.
Shangpliang said that many of the referees here are not updating themselves about the new rules that have been brought in by FIFA, which can put their credibility in question.
“We have to show our professionalism before we can demand higher remuneration,” the former national referee said.
Meanwhile, he urged upon the Shillong Sports Association (SSA) to support the cause of the referees.
“The SSA can play a very important role to help development of refereeing in the state on a proffessional front.
“I think the SSA should closely work with the referees association to attract more people to take up the job of refereeing,” he said.
When ask the reason as to why the referees from Meghalaya have not made it big in the national scene, Shangpliang said that there are many referees who have the potential but they discontinue their job within a short period after being recognised as national referees.
The referesher course he conducted, Shangpliang said, was held to help referees recollect the important rules of football.