Keeping ourselves fit during lockdown a challenge: Referee Rowan

New Delhi, April 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) At a time when the entire football fraternity is grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, it has been "challenging" for the referees to keep themselves up and running during the lockdown period.

"It has really been challenging for us to keep ourselves fit during this lockdown. The AFC instructors, and the AIFF Referee's Department have shared the curriculum comprising of strength training, core exercises and energy gaining. Besides the players, the referees also need to maintain their fitness level to run the show smoothly once we come back to normalcy," Rowan Arumughan, a FIFA panel referee told www.the-aiff.com.

Kerala-based Rowan who is the first Indian referee to have officiated in an AFC Champions League match after ten years stated they are stressing on indoor training to keep themselves fit during the lockdown tenure.

"It's a two-sessions-in-a-day curriculum and approximately, we are sweating out 2-2:30 hrs every day. As we are not allowed to go for a run we are focusing on breaking extra sweat indoors. Once the season starts, we have to be at the top of our game to perform on the field," Rowan added.

Rowan takes inspiration from currently being the sole Indian in the AFC Elite referee panel for AFC Champions League -- along with Hettikamkanamge Dilan Perera and Gamini Robesh, two eminent referees from Sri Lanka.

Besides them, Rowan is the sole referee from the SAFF region to be enlisted in the panel for AFC Champions League.

Meanwhile, he is also the senior-most referee from the country having got enlisted in the current FIFA panel in 2009 -- five years before Pranjal Banerjee and Tejas Nagvenkar -- the next two Indian referees to get inducted into the panel. Currently, there are eight referees and ten assistant referees from India in FIFA roster.

"The fitness tests have become tougher nowadays. It's of paramount importance as we need to match the pace of the game," AIFF 2018-19 Referee of the Year Venkatesh said.

"The pace of the game has increased significantly in the last decade. A normal human being generally becomes slower with age. But we need to maintain the pace. We need to become faster despite growing older," Rowan smiled.

While Rowan recalled the demanding journey to become a FIFA referee, Venkatesh mentioned the critical challenges they face during the tests. Since becoming a referee in 1999, Rowan had to come up through the ranks of class III, II and I to become a national referee and eventually, a FIFA referee in 2009.

"Me, as well as Pratap (Pratap Singh, former FIFA referee), began our refereeing careers on the same day. I was 20 then. The path was not smooth at all. Had we failed a single fitness test in the midway, we would have lost a year."

A referee needs to appear for a sprint test as well as a high-intensity test. While Rowan explained the sprint test, Venkatesh, who became a FIFA referee in 2018, elaborated on the gruelling high-intensity one.

"In the sprint test, we have to run 40 metres in less than 5.9 seconds. That's followed by 90 seconds for recovery, and that's followed by another spell of 40 metres sprint. A total of six rounds of sprints will help you get over the lines," Rowan explained.

Source: IANS