Riiohlang Dhar became the second Indian woman assistant referee to be selected for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in the Dominican Republic.
Riiohlang, a 34-year-old from Meghalaya, was included in the list of 38 match officials, who will be on call for the October 10-November 3 event.
Uvena Fernandes was the first Indian woman assistant referee to have the honour of supervising in the World Cup. She officiated in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.
“My appointment for the World Cup has come as a great honour for me,” said Riiohlang, who works for the Meghalaya police department.
“I have to work harder to live up to FIFA’s expectations. I will also keep in mind that I will be there as a representative of India. I will do everything to keep India’s flag high,” said the assistant referee.
Riiohlang said refereeing has been a part of her life since 2009. “After I stopped playing football, I joined a referee course in my local town and found it interesting since it will keep me in touch with the game I love dearly.
“So, I decided to take up the whistle and the flag. I have come a long way since then. I have supervised many international tournaments, but the World Cup is going to be a different experience,” she said.
The Chairperson of the AIFF Referees’ Committee, K. Sankar, said Riiohlang’s fine performance in AFC and FIFA international matches was one of the main reasons behind her appointment.
“In this year’s AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in Indonesia, Riiohlang officiated in one of the semifinals and also the third-place play-off. Her performance was excellent. Her appointment is a great honour for the AIFF too. On behalf of the Referees’ Committee, I wish her a great World Cup ahead,” Sankar said.
AIFF’s secretary general, M. Satyanarayan, said: “FIFA’s announcement that Riiohlang is among the match officials for the U-17 Women’s World Cup is like an Independence Day gift for us.
“Recently, we have started to focus on referees’ development. To build the base, we have appointed five zonal referees’ development officers. Our Elite Referees’ Development Programme is also doing very well for the match officials at the top of the pyramid. The nomination of Riiohlang Dhar will be a boost for the growing number of women officials in India.”
Riiohlang said that it was the teamwork that took her this far. “Without the help of my state association, the AIFF and my employers, I wouldn’t have reached the World Cup. The AIFF is doing a tremendous job in the development of women’s referees. We have all been greatly benefitted,” she said.
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