With tears in his eyes FIFA referee Ramesh Ramdhan blew his whistle for the last time on Friday night ending an illustrious 25 year career that has sent him to venues all over the world.
He walked off the field at the Manny Ramjohn stadium, Marabella, after the historic clash between local football giants VIBE CT 1005 W Connection
and CL Financial Jabloteh for the First Citizen’s Bank Cup. The game ended with a penalty shoot-out, which Connection won 3-1.
Speaking to the G-Sports 24-hours later, Ramdhan said he could not have picked a better match to end his local refereeing career, “That was a good game, with great football. Anything else would have been anti-climatic. I wanted to referee a good, tough game and last night (Friday) was most fitting game to end.”
Before the start of the match the players from Connection and Jablotech formed an honour guard for Ramdhan as he entered the field for the last time as a referee.
Ramdhan, 45, who has officiated in 1000th of local matches and 170 international games, had to hang up his whistle this year as he has attained the FIFA maximum age limit for referees. His name will be removed from the international list in December, he said.
After 25 years on the field, the father of two said: “Giving up his passion, football, was the hardest thing for him to do, “If I could, I would stay for another five years.”
“I will miss that forever the thrill of the game that would be the one thing I will miss my entire life, outside of the human element of course. But it is the one thing I would miss most in life,” said Ramdhan.
“I enjoy being on the pitch. Football was the greater part of my life and sports. I became known for football that is what I am.”
Although football is his passion, Ramdhan got into refereeing by accident in 1979, through the insistence of his uncle Richard Ramchan, who was also a referee.
“He encouraged me to take up refereeing. I took the course in 1979 and topped the exam that year. But I did not take up refereeing until a year later,” he said.
It may be hard to believe that Ramdhan, who is considered to be one of the top local FIFA referees, was not really into refereeing when he first started in 1979, “I did not think it was what I wanted to do. It was just not my thing, I like playing games like cricket and football. Refereeing at that time was not really appealing to me.
“I actually gave a shot in 1980 and I still did not like it because of the abuse and heckling from players and fans. But I got an appointment from the Central Zone and I was actually gravitating towards it and honouring the appointment.”
Ramdhan, an accountant with Customs and Excise Division, said as he got more involved in the game his feelings for refereeing grew and quickly became his passion.
In 1990, when FIFA lowered its age requirement for referees, Ramdhan was added to the international referees list, this was after taking two more courses and exams.
“I was nominated to be on the panel (FIFA) and started getting appointments to Caribbean. I started going out into Caribbean to (officiate) CONCACAF games in 1991,” he said.
His first local match was in 1980, a game between Leeds vs Dodgers at Woodford Lodge, Chaguanas.
“That was my first experience. It was really a learning experience, it turned out good. I was very nervous. But I felt good after the comments from the players and some people who attended the match. That was really my baptism in the refereeing field.
But Ramdhan said his first international match was more intense, “there were lots of butterflies in my stomach.”
The game was in the qualifying round at the Shell Caribbean Cup in 1991, in which Guyana, Cayman Islands, Netherlands Antilles and Barbados were competing in Guyana.
For him, that first international match was a bit intimidating, “footballers are big tough men, I was nineteen and did not really have a clue about what was going to happen on the field that was my first international game and I wanted to make a good impression.”
“The main thing was that I do well to ensure that all that I learned was used to carry the game properly and not make any silly mistakes as it were, but the butterflies were there as always.”
At that time Ramdhan had just married to his forever sweetheart Natasha when he had to go to Guyana, right after on his honeymoon. But it was worth it.
He said the travelling became more challenging, especially when whe his two daughters Shanice, 12 and Shianne, 10 came around. It was difficult to leave them but by then I was in the groove. They accepted that I was involved in sports”
Ramdhan said: “The appointment to the World Cup in 1998 was “the pinnacle of my career. It’s definitely the most satisfying moment. I was really proud to be representing the Caribbean and proud to be part of the activities. I did very well in France and everybody, I believe, felt the same way. That was really where my fame and popularity came about.”
But now that he has officially ended his local career, Ramdhan insists that he wants to contribute to the refereeing field in a big way by imparting the knowledge that he gained to those interested in joining the profession.
Ramdhan said: “I’ve one regret in my career, he recalled incident between himself and Starworld Strikers’ Marvin Phillip last year at a Pro League match”.
Looking back at the match: Phillip, unhappy with Ramdhan’s decision, spat on the referee, in response an upset Ramdhan retaliated by allegedly kicking Phillip. The player was fined and banned from play for one year.
“That was the first bad experience I ever got. That is the one incident I wish I could do over. I regret the entire incident, it’s the one blemish in my career. I regret that it had to happen to me. I regret being involved. I was exonerated, but it was unacceptable.
I think if I had walked away from that I would have felt worse. I think I would better equipped to handle it differently now. I made a promise that I will never referee a match involving that player again and I never met that player again,” Ramdhan said.
At present Ramdhan is a local referee instructor, but he said he would like contribute on an international level. It is all for the love of the game. You can make money, but the whole thing about it is you have to love it, feel that passion for the game. You feel at home among referees. You actually meet people from all walks of life and make friends all over the world.”
Ramdhan’s advice to persons interested in refereeing, in particular young people, is that -- there must be an understanding that sports are part of human development.
He pointed out: “Refereeing makes you a more disciplined person, it makes you stronger, it requires a high degree of integrity. Refereeing can help make you a better person.”
“I would hope that I am given the opportunity to play a part in referee development and general football. I would think it would have be a waste of all my active years not to be able to do so. Although my career was a success, I would not feel fulfilled if I am not able to give back to football and refereeing in particular,” he said.
“Passion, that’s the word, if you do not have that then you cannot succeed. That is the driving force, that was my driving force,” Ramdhan said.