Indian FIFA referee drives auto for a living

In a glaring example of the pathetic state of football in the country, M.P Santosh Kumar, one of India’s few FIFA accredited referees, has been forced to drive an auto rickshaw to make a living.

While most Indian fans would be celebrating at news of teenager Brandon Fernandes‘ trial at EPL club Reading, and news of a million dollar bid, Kumar stands as an example of the reality in Indian football.

With low pay from refereeing, Santosh has often taken up odd jobs to make a living for himself and his family.

He has so far worked as a house painter, a driving help for truck drivers, a taxi driver, and a technician with Eureka Forbes, and even sold CDs during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

But Santosh doesn’t mind the difficulties. “There is no point in worrying about such things,” he says, and adds, “We have to live life as it is.”

A footballer earlier, Kumar took up refereeing after a ligament injury put an end to his playing days. After obtaining a refereeing license in ’96, he was confirmed as a national referee in 2004, and got FIFA accreditation last year.

Referee Santosh Kumar, before the start of a match.

Despite hailing from the football crazy town of Kottayam, where people go haywire during tournaments like the World Cup or Euros or even Copa America, Santosh is known as a no-nonsense referee on the pitch.

He showed guts in yellow carding Mohun Bagan‘s captain Jose Ramirez Barreto, who was playing in his farewell match for the club. He stood up to 30,000 fans who protested the decision, and claimed he was just doing his job.

The highlight of his career, he says, was in officiating the the match between Bayern Munich and India last year in New Delhi. “India lost the match badly, but for me it was a historic affair, says Santhosh.

The AIFF seems to be slowly waking up to the sorry state of referees in the country. Officials were earlier paid per game, and in terms of value, it was no more than a pittance. The Federation has now short listed three referees, including Kumar, for an experimental hiring of referees on a contractual basis.

The Federation has offered Kumar a 7 month contract, worth Rs. 2 lacs along with added allowances, to officiate in around 20 I-League football matches. If the scheme works out, it will be gradually extended to other referees as well.

Unsurprisingly, Kumar’s first aim with the money is to clear his debts and get back his wife’s mortgaged jewellery.