He will be the first English referee to officiate in a match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. And Dave Roberts?s real worry is whether the players and officials on the field will be able to hear the referee?s whistle over the roar of the one-lakh crowd that he expects on Thursday.
?The last thing I?d want is any kind of miscommunication during such an important match,? Roberts said from Delhi on Tuesday, his stopover from Singapore on way to Calcutta. Reaching the city on Wednesday, he will attend an Indian Football Association (IFA) press conference and meet the assistant referees, before the crucial Premier League tie on Thursday.
?The crowd will be around four times that of the highest number I?ve refereed in front of? I?m concentrating on my positioning and hand signals,? Roberts offered.
The ?once-in-a-lifetime? sporting chance came for the Singapore-based senior producer of ESPN STAR Sports when one of his colleagues in India mentioned that the IFA was scouting for foreign referees. ?I said that I?d love to do the job, and soon after, the IFA got in touch.?
For Roberts, a cracked skull during a soccer match at age 15 had forced an exit from the game as a player. ?When I returned, I was too old for professional football and refereeing was a close second to that.?
Now, he is a class 1 referee for the Football Association of Singapore, covering the S-League and Prime League. His previous stints include officiating for the Football Association of England in the FA Cup and the FA Premier Reserve League.
For Thursday?s match, Roberts is tracking the two teams closely. ?I recently watched East Bengal play JCT Mills in Ludhiana. Putting together the Asian football content for Sportcenter on ESPN, I?m aware of Mohun Bagan?s management problems, too.?
The only issue that he plans to steer clear of when in Calcutta is the debate over the need for foreign referees in the local league. ?I?m just happy with this opportunity and can?t get dragged into that.? And in the bit of spare time that he?d get on Friday, Roberts would ?certainly get out and look around Calcutta?, he assured.
