AIFF, AFC keeping referees engaged, says Srikrishna

Chennai

However, owing to the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdown in place, the official is left with no choice but to stay away from the football field. Nevertheless, the 42-year-old, fondly referred to as Coimbatore Srikrishna in his circle, is keeping himself engaged by attending online courses and performing in-house exercises.

“The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are making sure that referees remain active. AIFF has been doing programmes on ‘Laws of the Game’ and wants us to improve our knowledge. Also, trivia tests are being conducted twice every week. Apart from these, the board shares video clips of matches, for us to analyse and upgrade,” Srikrishna, three-time AIFF Referee of the Year award winner, told DT Next on Monday.

“Some of the existing laws have undergone amendments and we have been discussing them in meetings (on the Zoom app). AIFF has been hosting three classes per week, while AFC has been taking two. So, almost every day we are staying in touch with football,” he added. But, Srikrishna admitted that these are testing times since all are limited to the boundaries of their home.

“Right now, the whole world is suffering and people will have to adjust. The only difference in my case is that I am staying off the pitch and not on it. Because of the shutdown, none of the grounds are open. For about 70 days, I have been working out in the space available,” said the Coimbatore-based.

During our phone conversation, experienced campaigner Srikrishna also gave his verdict on the standard of Indian referees, who are the talk of the town when the Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League are on. The local officials have been at the receiving end of criticism for quite a few years now, thanks to some of their contentious calls.

“Yes, controversial decisions have been made in the past. But, no one is error-free. We make calls based on what we see at that particular moment. In a country like India where there are so many referees, it will take time for us to move to the next level,” he asserted. According to Srikrishna, the quality will improve only when officials match the pace of the contest.

“Most of the foreigners who come to India are skilful. They combine well with the domestic players and increase the speed of the game each year. If a referee adapts to it well, he will definitely get more decisions right,” signed off Srikrishna.