Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Breaking an opponent’s leg in a match and getting his own leg broken in a dream have prompted Project Future Batch 2009 referee Muhammad Nazmi Nasaruddin to switch from playing for a high-profile state team to refereeing.
Having a jet-setting refereeing father and friend are also part of the reasons for making the plunge at the tender age of 18 although at that time he had a promising career as a player.
The lanky Malaysian, who played for Penang State U-21 team between 2006 and 2008 before making the switch, told the-afc.com:
“When I was a Penang State U-21 player, I tackled an opponent and broke his leg. After that, I had a dream in which someone tackled me and broke my leg. Well, this is part and parcel of the game and don't get me wrong. But it started me thinking.
“And my dad, Nasaruddin Ishak, was also a referee. Almost every week he’d be away from home, flying to far-away countries in his work as assistant referee for FIFA. It was really exciting to watch him.
“Not only that. Teacher Subkhiddin (2010 World Cup referee Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh who recently retired) also kept encouraging me to change to refereeing because he said there was a better future in this aspect of the game.
“So, I took the plunge and since then, I have no regrets. My family was all behind me in taking this bold decision, but some of my friends told me off, saying I had potential to make it to the senior team. No sir. It’s the best decision in my life.”
Nazmi became a national referee in 2010 and early this year, got his first job as the main referee and has been in the middle since in several matches in the Malaysia Cup.
He is currently taking the Final Development Course from 17 to 22 November 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, the last course before graduating from PF Referees, the AFC’s elite two-year development programme.