By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In what can be termed a proud moment for the state and its police force, Riiohlang Dhar, a woman constable, has been selected in the elite list of FIFA International Referee from India.
Dhar who hails from Jowai is one amongst 18 Indian referees named in the 2019 FIFA Refereeing International Lists.
Out of the 18, only four women qualified after going through various tests conducted by FIFA in Chennai on October 10.
Despite facing many difficulties, Dhar has qualified to be one among the four women from the country selected to officiate in FIFA international matches.
Dhar, who loved to play football, recalled how her parents supported her and encouraged her to follow her dream.
She revealed that after her parents passed away, she was on the verge of giving up. “Life was not easy anymore after my parents died, and I started doubting myself and was on the verge of giving up on my dream of becoming a top women referee someday,” Dhar told newsmen who met her on Friday. “Whenever I had a match my father, who was also serving in the police, would take a day off and come to watch me play and support me,” she recalled adding that such fond memories have given her the strength to carry on.
It was in 2014, that she inspired herself and made up her mind to continue to work to achieve her dream.
“That time, many people said things which were uninspiring but I moved on thinking about those days when my parents supported me,” Dhar said, adding that despite criticism, she chose to listen to the ones that propel her forward.
With endurance and hard work, Dhar has added another feather to her cap with the entry into the list of international elite referees.
She informed that from the four women referee, three including her have been named in the category of elite referees.
Dhar intends to continue her association with football and is also ready to train young men and women from the state who aspire to follow their dreams of becoming renowned footballers.
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