Two Indian women referees have been selected to officiate at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, in September.
Maria Rebello and Uvena Fernandes are the first women referees picked by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to supervise Asian Games matches and they are all too excited about the break they have been given.
"I am overwhelmed, this will be my first match abroad and I'm feeling very excited," Fernandes, who received her FIFA certification badge only this year, told IANS.
"I'm not nervous at all. I have faith in my abilities and I have prepared well, I'm just raring to go," said Fernandes, who for the past five-six years has been officiating Subroto Cup matches.
While Fernandes, 32, is a relative new-bee, her partner Rebello has acquired the knack of keeping grown men in check on the field. Rebello, 42, a former India senior women's national team captain and a regular referee in the Goa pro-league, became the first woman to oversee I-League and Santosh Trophy matches earlier this year.
However, the remarkable journey for the two, who are leaving for Incheon Sep 10, hasn't been easy and both have credited the head of the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) referees department, Gautam Kar, for the boom in the number of women referees.
A look at the FIFA list of women referees shows only two Indians whereas a tiny West African nation like Benin with a population of less than 10 million, has seven. Many other smaller African nations have also produced more women referees. India has a lot a catching up to do, but the two Indian referees feel things are improving.
"The development of women referees in India is in the best hands. What he (Gautam Kar) has done for it cannot be explained in words. He has been instrumental for us becoming refs. The fact that the U-19 women's nationals in Cuttack was manned by all-women referees for the first time goes to show what sort of depth there is in the country," said Rebello.
Fernandes feels that with top-level professional leagues like the Indian Super League (ISL) springing up in the country, it's only a matter of time before more and more Indian referees get to officiate in international matches and tournaments.
"Professional leagues will give opportunities to young referees, both men and women, to hone their skills. Hopefully, with that experience and exposure we hope to get nominated for bigger tournaments around the world," Fernandes said.
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