Come 2014 and an Ahmedabad referee will officiate matches at the FIFA World Cup, the most prestigious soccer championship and probably the greatest sports show on Earth. On Sunday, the seemingly shy and soft-spoken Dinesh Nair, 37, received news that made his heart glow with pride: He had been slotted in the select, Elite Panel of FIFA (world football association) referees — and thereby became the first from Gujarat and only the ninth from India to win a berth in this chosen group.
“The referees for the 2010 World Cup (in South Africa) have been shortlisted, but I am sure that I will be there in Brazil in 2014 for that year’s championship,” Nair told DNA on Monday.
Nair has deservingly earned his spurs in a “thankless job”, where the ref is generally criticized by the rival teams and fans, regardless of what he does. The Ahmedabad whistler had his baptism of fire in the Kolkata derby, the East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan match, in front of 100,000 screaming fans.
“It was in 2007 when I had to show the red card to a Bagan player. As the crowd watched with bated breath, I drew out the dreaded card. From then onwards, I had to control both the packed stadium and the players. I came through the ordeal unscathed,” Nair said while recalling some of his finest moments as a referee.
Nair endured another testing period in last year’s Santosh Trophy final between Punjab and Services. “I awarded a penalty to Punjab and the crowd and TV commentators felt my decision was wrong. But I pointed to the spot. I was fully convinced that the infringement deserved a penalty. TV replays later showed that I was right. It was one of my most satisfying moments,” added Nair. He has had many other rewarding times, including the one in 2004 when he became a FIFA referee for the first time and did the opening and final match of the SAF Games.
Nair has officiated in all important Indian and Asian soccer meets. In 2006 he was in the middle for two important World Cup qualifiers.
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