Indian Super League GOT A SUPER-REFEREE!!!!

Indian Super League saw another thrilling match between Chennayin FC and FC Pune City. The brainstorming performances by the team members led to two goals in a minute. Chennai once again reiterated the fact that, their team is capable of turning the tables at any time in a match. But apart from the goals and the players, there was another important factor of the match. It was the presence of a super referee. Actually the brand name of Marco Materazzi saw a mighty deficit in yesterdays match. This one can be easily attributed to the person who was in the field controlling the match- a kind of superstar for the match. It was none other than the referee Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan. Ravshan was the first referee for the match between Chennai and Pune, his debut match in ISL. He was the main whistleblower (I assure you I meant it in the most positive way- the one who blows the whistle) for the important World Cup matches of 2010 and 2014. There is no doubt that his arrival has taken the name of ISL to a new level in the international scenario. There are speculations that the super referee would control the match between Kerala Blasters and Kolkata.

Since 2008, Ravshan had been the recipient of the best referee Asian award for consecutive four years . This might give us a clue that this man should not be taken lightly. He was also selected for controlling the FIFA Club World Cup final match held during 2008 and 2011. Irmatov was selected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was in charge of the opening match between South Africa and Mexico on June 11. His appointment is the highest accolade so far for Asian referees in that year’s World Cup. A record for number of matches in charge in a single World Cup (5) came to him when he became the referee for Netherlands-Honduras match during the same year. He was the youngest refere to participate in that World Cup and also the youngest official in a World Cup starting match since 1934. Irmatov was also officiated at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and was selected as a referee for the final match between Australia and Japan.
Some of the other prominent matches to name are :Mexico-Croatia, USA-Germany, a quarter final and another match (all from 2014 World Cup). 2013 Confederation Cup, 2012 Olympics are just excerpts from his referee history. Many Asian referees consider him as the role model when it comes to controlling a match. The main skill he shows as a referee is the lowest foul whistles. Irmatov justifies this by saying that one should not hinder the flow of a match. We can often see him running through the fields better than the players with his long legs.

Irmatov has taken after his father, who was also a referee for the Soviet Union matches. It might be just odd and interesting to hear that refereeing is just his part time job. He is actually a big businessman in Uzbekistan. Anyway, it is almost sure that he will be around here during the ISL and that this league will get a whole lot of viewers from his country too.
[author image=”http://www.aapkatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PicsArt_1414224160514.jpg” ]I am Suraj pursuing B.Tech from PRIST UNIVERSITY,Thanjavur[/author]

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