Tracking the Subroto Cup's unsung heroes

The Indian defense forces have always done their bit to ensure they help sport in the country

The Subroto and Durand Cup over the years have stood out for their selection of officials. While the rest of the leading tourneys in our country struggle to find referees and linesmen for their fixtures, there seems to be an abundance of their breed in the aforementioned tournaments.

Intriguing as it is, SportsKeeda in an interaction with some of the organizers found out yesterday that almost all these are officers serving in various regiments of our defense services.

Subsequently we caught up with two of them - Champak KC and Churchill Rana. Stationed with the 11 Gorkha Rifle Regimental Centre in Lucknow, the former opened up about their involvement with the tournament, “It’s a great opportunity for us. Although I am from the Army, I was called up by the Air Force to officiate here and it feels extremely special. We are a part of the Services referees team and are often called upon to adjudicate. Needless to say these sporadic opportunities keep us going for the rest of the year.”

Maintaining football has always been his calling, Champak, who was born and brought up in Darjeeling, has previously played the Durand Cup himself. Reminiscing his participation in the same, he added, “When you are in the army, you can’t afford to play professionally. Hence, the Durand outings were even more special. We got to play the bigger teams in the qualifiers and that was extremely satisfying. Similarly officiating here is enriching, it’s a lot more competitive and the pressure, albeit perceived differently otherwise, augurs well for us.”

Both Champak KC and Churchill Rana are officiating in the Subroto Cup

Churchill adds that there are 3 army referees who will be a part of the famed Indian Super League, starting next month. He cites the example of our Olympic medalists, the likes of Major Vijay Kumar and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who owe their success to the infrastructure that the Services provide.

The Subroto Cup is definitely doing its best to contribute effectively to the Indian footballing scene and their efforts have laid down a solid platform for young school kids all over the country looking to pursue a professional career in the sport. Exposure to sport at a young age definitely helps cultivate a sporting culture in young children, and it is important that we as a country focus on that.

The armed forces, without a doubt are doing an incredible job at heralding our sporting rage. Here’s hoping their pioneering efforts from the ongoing Subroto Cup get recognized and they are allowed to ply their trade professionally soon.