MARGAO
Riyaz Shabbir Kambali from Peddem, Mapusa, a hockey video umpire, has made Goa proud with his achievements at a young age.
The 23-year-old is part of the technical department which supports players and umpires. However, his work is critical since he keeps the scores and ensures the umpires can focus on the task at hand without having to worry about several backend tasks. Riyaz officiated in the 13th Hockey Junior Men's hockey championship at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium Rourkela in Odisha recently.
"I started following in the footsteps of my cousins who regularly played hockey. It is from there that my deep-rooted love for hockey started," Riyaz told The Goan.
"Alexander sir was our hockey coach and he gave me the opportunities to practise and helped me hone my skills. It is because of his unconditional support and guidance that I could play a few club matches... After that, I represented Goa in the junior nationals for a few years," said Riyaz.
"Benny sir then urged me to do a course in umpiring and that is how my career as an umpire shaped up. I thank Benny Sir for all his support which helped me grow as a technical umpire.
"I will keep educating myself to raise the standard of umpiring. It is a huge honour to officiate Junior Men's hockey championship. I couldn't have done it without the support of Hockey India and Goan Hockey, which has been doing a great job to raise the standard of umpires in India with regular workshops conducted by educators. They exchange their knowledge about umpiring with us. Hockey India has conducted online tests as well. They have encouraged youngsters to take up umpiring in hockey and they have played a key role," expressed Riyaz.
"My first assignment as an umpire was in a national tournament -- the 12th Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship that took place in Goa last year. The umpire manager was Javed sir in that event and he inspired me to do well in that tournament. Raghu sir too deserves a lot of credit as he played a huge role in motivating and inspiring me," said Riyaz.
in his playing career, Riyaz took part in two Junior Nationals, three Senior Nationals and three University Nationals. "I represented Goa University in the University Nationals. Presently, I am pursuing an M.Com degree from Government College, Pernem.
"Apart from my hockey, I was also a State and University champion in weightlifting and was also adjudged the best sportsperson of the year by my college," added Riyaz.
"It is a wonderful feeling to officiate top hockey events in the country. It makes the years of sacrifice, work and time away from my family well worth it," Riyaz concluded.
