Rauf to officiate in Maldives Premier League

21-year-old the first Pakistani referee to officiate in the country’s league.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Muhammad Ahmed Rauf will become the first Pakistani to officiate in the Maldives Premier Football League as the youngster continues his participation at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the Project Future Referees.

The 21-year-old belongs to the seventh batch of the programme, which is currently featuring 10 men and eight women.

Rauf became the youngest Pakistani referee to officiate in an international event when he presided over a match in Iran in 2012.

The Khanewal-based referee aims to impress AFC and FIFA officials to boost his chances for participation in the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

According to Pakistani striker Saadullah, who is competing at the Maldives Premier Football League with BG Sports FC, Rauf’s achievement will help Pakistan and Maldives alike.



“I’m glad to know Rauf is in Maldives too, and he will be officiating at the matches here,” Saadullah told The Express Tribune. “It’s an honour for us that we are not only producing good players but also talented referees.”

The former KRL player rued the current state of affairs of refereeing in Pakistan. “In Maldives, like Pakistan, there is a dearth of good referees. Rauf has a really good reputation and I’m confident he will be able to impress the AFC with his prowess. I want to see Rauf officiate at a FIFA World Cup match too. We are all supporting him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th,  2015.

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