City’s lone FIFA referee retires

“I submitted my resignation although I could have continued for another four months,and it was a pleasant new year surprise for my family,since I haven’t been able to be with them on many occasions due to professional compulsions,” Rizwan told Sportline on Wednesday.

Born in a family of football referees,it was perhaps only logical that Rizwan took to the sport early. His father Ikram-ul-Haq was the first FIFA referee from India,and was followed into the profession by his elder brother Zia.

Rizwan,though,started off as a player desirous of donning India colours,making it to the probables list for the 1986 Asian Cup before the tour got cancelled at the last minute. That’s when Rizwan decided to try his hand as an official instead. “Getting through (the refereeing courses) was not a problem. My family always supported me,especially my father and brother,who are my biggest inspiration. I became a class III referee at the age of 25 in Delhi. Eight years later,I was appointed as a national referee and became a FIFA refereee in 2000,” Haq said.

His 20-year-long stint has seen him officiating in more than 40 international matches across tournaments,including the Asian Cup,Olympic qualifiers and the Millennium Cup. Interestingly,Rizwan holds the Indian record for officiating in most number of international ties; he is unsure of the number himself.

“It feels great when I now think about it. It could not have been possible without the help of my wife,my family and my employers FCI (North Zone). The schedule sometimes used to be so tight that even chalking out a plan for office was difficult. But FCI helped me a lot and supported me throughout my career. It satisfies me to have done the job successfully,” said Rizwan,who also captained Delhi in the 1987 Santosh Trophy.

For Rizwan,though,the high point of his career came in 2006-07,when he officiated in the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan I-League derby,in the presence of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam,besides a packed Kolkata stadium of over 1 lakh people.

For now,Rizwan is planning to be a referee instructor in the city. “I cannot disassociate myself from football. I think India is improving in every sphere of football and I believe if I can help upcoming referees,nothing could be better than that. I would definitely stress upon fitness and interpretation of laws of the game,” Rizwan said.

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