NEW DELHI: Every time the FIFA World Cup is held, Komaleeswaran Sankar feels ecstatic. The 53-year-old assistant referee from Chennai has been in the thick of action, for he is the only Indian referee ever to officiate in the prestigious event –in 2002 when the tournament was co-hosted by Japan and Korea. Blitz India spoke exclusively to Sankar to find out what pressures a referee goes through while officiating a World Cup match.
“The atmosphere in the field during a World Cup match cannot be described in words,” he said. “The sheer voice decibel created by the fans is something which most people watching the match on TV sets fail to realise. It’s difficult to hear the whistle –such is the din,” he said.
Sankar, who officiated in the opening match of Japan’s leg of the 2002 World Cup match between Mexico and Croatia, said he could not hold his nerves in the initial period. “For about first 10 minutes, I must admit, I was quite nervous and it took me some time to settle. Thereafter, I could control my nerves and went about it as if it was just another match,” he said.
Sankar had set another mark in the 2002 World Cup. As assistant referee during Russia’s match against Belgium, he was the first to notice an infringement on the part of a Russian player and was quick to bring it to the notice of the referee
Sankar had set another mark in the 2002 World Cup. As assistant referee during Russia’s match against Belgium, he was the first to notice an infringement on the part of a Russian player and was quick to bring it to the notice of the referee, Kim Nielsen of Denmark. “Based on my recommendation, Nielsen redcarded a Russian player – and that happened to be the first red card of the Japanese leg of the World Cup,” he said.
Asked about any memorable moment which he would like to treasure, Sankar said his heart was filled with pride when the names of the officials were displayed on the giant screen just before the commencement of a match. “The giant screen would mention the names of the players of the respective teams. Thereafter, the names of the officials and their country flags would be displayed—every time this happened, I was elated as the Tricolour was displayed alongside my name. This is something which I will also cherish for the rest of my life,” he added.
The other memorable part of the World Cup for Sankar was his interactions with some of the legends of the game. For instance, he interacted with Brazilian legends Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Bebeto during the course of the tournament. “These interactions were short, yet just to be in the midst of these legends is something which I cannot forget. For instance, I have a picture of Ronaldo standing beside me, with his hands on my shoulders. These are some of memorable moments,” he said.
Africa defeat Europe
Riots broke out in several Belgian and Dutch cities after Morocco’s 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup on November 27.
While Belgian fans overturned and torched cars, set electric scooters on fire and pelted cars with bricks. Moroccan immigrants and fans celebrated enthusiastically in many Belgian and Dutch cities. Police sealed off parts of the city after violence in the wake of Belgium’s defeat at World Cup.
Germany live to fight
Germany found hope by avoiding another early World Cup exit when they snatched a 1-1 draw with Spain as substitute Niclas Fuellkrug fired home an 83rd minute equaliser that cancelled out Alvaro Morata’s opener. Germany went into their encounter against Spain at the Al Bayt Stadium under immense pressure after suffering a shock defeat to Japan in their opening match.
Sankar revealed that he was also selected to officiate in the 2006 World Cup in Germany but at the last moment something inexplicable happened. “I was on way to the airport to board the plane to Germany when I got the call that my name had been deleted—at the last minute. I was extremely disappointed.” Till date, he said, no one has given him the reason why such a thing had happened.
Apart from the World Cup, Sankar has officiated in many Asia Cup matches. He has been an assistant referee in the 1991, 1994, 2000 and 2004 Asia Cup matches. “It was a great experience,” he said. Currently, Sankar is working for an NGO, called Great Goals, which aims at promoting football to underprivileged girl children. “My stint with Great Goals is a very rewarding one,” he signed off.
