Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Colombo: Sri Lankan Army woman T.G.D.K. Samarasinghe has the army to thank for introducing her to the fast-paced world of refereeing and the AFC for helping her become an even better referee.
Samarasinghe, from an area 75km away from the city and a referee with over a decade of experience, is one of the happiest footballers in Sri Lanka now as she is facing her first international assignment which also happens on her home soil.
Samarasinghe was one of 12 referees taking part in the AFC U-13 Girls’ Football Tournament whose five days matches will kick off on Saturday. She just finished a referee course, part of the programme in the tournament, to prepare her and her refereeing mates for the upcoming matches.
She said that during her schooldays she never had a chance to play football but after joining the service she took to the game with gusto and soon thought of helping the game by taking the whistle.
“It was the Sri Lankan Army which helped me to reach this level,” she told the-afc.com. “I consider this opportunity given to me as one of the best in my life. We learnt the basics of refereeing from FIFA-qualified referees from the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL).
“Now we have got the chance of undergoing a higher-level training programme under world-renowned instructors provided by AFC who are here to guide us to referee the forthcoming U-13 girls’ matches.”
She has further added that Sri Lanka does not have many tournaments for woman footballers and as such, referees like her are not having the opportunity of working regularly and receiving international assignments.
“With this sort of training and tournament being played here we get experience to go further in the game of football,” she said. “The expert guidance is sure to help us immensely.”