Referee Fever!

I first started playing soccer when I was in high school in the land where little girls like to giggle. Since returning to Singapore, I've learnt quite a lot about our local branding of soccer "lingo" - most notably, those relating to the least celebrated person on the field : the referee!

For instance, apart from the words "GOAL!" followed by "ole, ole, ole, ole....ole...ole", the two other most common terms that I can think of are :-

Referee Kayu : According to Talking Cock dictionary, kayu means "wood" in Malay, used to suggest stupidity. Hence, no prizes for guessing what "referee kayu" means!

Referee Kelong : No, I don't think this has anything to do with a kelong that a referee lives in. According to the same cock dictionary, "kelong" is a term used to describe any form of cheating or corruption in any competition. Hence, when he or she drives away in a flashy car after a match, you start to wonder if referee.....

Since the World Cup this year, I've learnt a new term :

Shamsul Maidin : According to Wikipedia (no Cock Talking here) (born April 16, 1966) is a football (soccer) referee from Singapore......blah blah blah...He was rated the top referee at the 2006 FIFA World Cup by Soccernet.com

Everyone's been talking about this local sensation.


Mr Brown : Top rated referee in the World Cup at soccernet today

Sivasothi (well known-celebrity) : Shamsul Makes Me Proud to be Singaporean

How does one become a referee anywayz? Well, when I was younger (and fitter?), I was asked by a fellow female soccer mate if I wanted to become one of the first few female soccer referees in Singapore! Having umpired for several Netball games, I didn't think it would be too different? But I think it's a totally different ball game altogether (excuse the pun)...

I was in for a real surprise! I forget what the criteria was (as it was quite a few years ago and I blame my short-term memory loss on my face plant incident) but I remembered having to sign up for a basic referee course with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). A couple of class-room training sessions and written exams on the Rules of the Game later, we were off for our mandatory fitness test! I can't quite remember what the test entailed, but according to an English website on "How to become a ref", the standard FIFA fitness test will involve :-

1. Eyesight test, car number plate at 25 m
2. 50m sprint in less than 7.5 seconds
3. 200m sprint in less than 32 seconds
4. 15 min break
5. A distance run, 12 minutes continuous running covering at least 2,700m

I recalled passing this test and then being interviewed by some newspaper.....hmmm....

Anywayz, it was heavily emphasized during the course that the referee has to be "the" fittest person on the field, having to run to where the "ball" and "action" is, while keeping a tab on what's happening on the rest of the field...and that's where the eyes behind their backs come in with the aid of their linesmen. Not an easy task, if you asked me!

In the words of Shamsul in an interview :

'Being a referee is an art,' he says. 'You have to be physically and mentally strong to handle 22 players, 22 kinds of characters.' He adds: 'I keep reminding myself in a game that I should be above the players in self-control. There's nothing for me to lose, but they get nervous because they have something to win.'

After my physical fitness test, I borrowed a basic black referee uniform, collected a list of items : whistle, little black score book, red and yellow cards, a set of flags etc. and attended my first assignment....a game between 2 men's soccer team, not as a referee but as a linesman (who, as we can see from the Zidane incident, is equally important; who else would have spotted the head butt?) During the game, I remembered being bored to tears! I was itching to play! It was then that I realised that refereeing just wasn't my cup of tea...and besides, the only remarks I got when I took the test back then were exactly the words "Referee Kayu" and "Referee Kelong"! :P
I think it also takes a certain assertiveness and self-confidence in order to do well. If I ever get around to completing my course, the following would be good advice to heed :

".....[Shamsul] reveals that one of the highlights of his career so far was meeting his idol, Portuguese referee Vito Melo Pereira, at the Confederations Cup 2005 in Germany, where Mr Shamsul was also refereeing.

Mr Pereira, 49, offered him this piece of advice: Look sterner. 'He told me: 'In dealing with the mega-stars of football, you come from a smaller country, so it's a disadvantage. When you look at the players, look at their eyes, don't move until they look away. When you show the card, be very, very confident. Once the player is satisfied, let him go first, then you put down the card.''

Well, if the chances of our making it to the World Cup are looking rather dim, there is still light at the end of the tunnel! The FAS offers basic referee courses for working adults ($58.80) / students ($27.30). All candidates (men or women) have to be physically fit, be between the ages of 16 and 34, and be able to speak and write English! If we can't play, at least we can play our cards right!