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FIFA Referees Pratap Singh, CR Srikrishna and MB Santosh Kumar signed a professional contract, the first of its kind in India with All India Football Federation at the Football House, the AIFF Headquarters on Thursday (October 5).
This is the first time any referee has been brought under a contract system. The event took place as the two-day Match Commissioner and Referee Assessor Education Course ended at the AIFF Headquarters. Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF signed the contract along with the three referees.
Head of Referees Goutam Kar, who conducted the seminar, spoke about the significance of the matter. “It is an epoch making day for referees in India. This is a seven month contract which the three referees are being signed. They will get their monthly salaries and all other expenses except match fee will be taken care of by AIFF,” he informed.
“The contract will run from October to May on a trial basis. After assessing its pros and cons we will extend it,” he added.
FIFA referee Pratap Singh said: “I feel honoured to be a part of this professional system. It means we have to put in that extra bit on match days and do our job more prudently and with care. We are thankful to AIFF for choosing us.”
Santosh Kumar added it’s a dream come true. “We have got the boost to give our best and improve ourselves. We have been trusted with added responsibility and we are ready to grateful to AIFF.”
Srikrishna maintained: “Our responsibility has increased. We cannot let AIFF down. I want to thank the Federation for thinking us worthy of the contract.”
