Shillong, Aug 18: Ri-iohlang Dhar has become only the second Indian woman assistant referee in history to be selected for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
This year’s edition of the tournament will take place in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean.
Ri-iohlang (34) was named by FIFA on Friday in the elite list of 38 match officials for the 10th October to 3rd November tournament.
Uvena Fernandes was the first Indian woman assistant referee to have the honour of supervising in the World Cup, having done so at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016 in Jordan.
“My appointment for the World Cup has come as a great honour for me,” Ri-iohlang was quoted as saying on the All India Football Federation website. “I have to work harder to live up to FIFA’s expectations. I will also keep in mind that I will be there as a representative of India. I will do everything to keep India’s flag high.”
Earlier this year, Ri-iohlang, a serving policewoman in the Meghalaya Police, officiated at the 2024 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Bali, Indonesia, one of many international events she has worked at over the course of a her career as a football official.
She first qualified as a FIFA assistant referee in 2018. “I have come a long way since then. I have supervised in many international tournaments but the World Cup is going to be a different experience,” Ri-ioh said.
The chairperson of the AIFF referees’ committee, K Sankar, said of the news, “In this year’s AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Indonesia, Ri-iohlang officiated in one of the semifinals and also the third-place play-off. Her performance was excellent. Her appointment is a great honour for the AIFF too. On behalf of the referees’ committee, I wish her a great World Cup ahead.”
The AIFF Acting Secretary General, M Satyanarayan, said, “FIFA’s announcement that Ri-iohlang is among the match officials for the U-17 Women’s World Cup is like an Independence Day gift for us. Recently, we have started to focus on referees’ development. To build the base, we have appointed five zonal referees’ development officers. Our Elite Referees’ Development Programme is also doing very well for the match officials at the top of the pyramid. The nomination of Ri-iohlang Dhar will be a boost for the growing number of women officials in India.”
Ri-iohlang knows it is the teamwork that has taken her thus far. “Without the help of my state association, the AIFF and my employers, I wouldn’t have reached the World Cup. The AIFF is doing a tremendous job in the development of women’s referees. We have all been greatly benefitted,” she said.
