AIFF to honour two referees ahead of Asian Referees Day

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation will honour two referees of the country on August 31 ahead of the Asian Referees Day which falls on September 1.

T Pradeep Kumar of Tamil Nadu and Shaji Kurien of Kerala will be honoured Referee of the year 2008-09 and Assistant Referee of the year respectively. They will be felicitated during the prize distribution ceremony of the ONGC Nehru Cup International Football tournament whose final falls on August 31 at the Ambedkar Stadium.The AIFF will send all living Indian FIFA Referees and Assistant Referees a letter of appreciation. It is also inviting all referees to submit funny anecdotes about their careers. All the affiliate state units of the country will also host festival matches between veteran players and referees on September 1. The AFC has decided to celebrate September 1 as the Asian Referees Day to acknowledge the contributions of the match officials without whom it is impossible to pursue football around the world. Bureau Report