Intense pains for mind and heartburn have prompted one of the leading rugby referees in Sri Lanka to call it a day.
Aruna Rankothge, who played for Kandy SC as a flanker in 1991, has been an active ‘A’ Division Referee for the past-fifteen years and served on the Asian Rugby Football Union Panel for nine years. His work has largely been without blemish and one wonders if the mistake he made in the prestigious CR-Navy match has been magnified out of all proportion.
The casus belli (The CR-Navy game) ended in a win for the sailors by a narrow margin. All hell broke loose thereafter and Rankothge has been ostracised by certain quarters.
Rankothge is only behind Dilroy Fernando and Nizam Jamaldeen in terms of refereeing experience, especially at international level. He has done some of the plum games locally – the Bradby and the Carlton 7s final. He was precluded home blowing in more Bradby encounters because he has been the coach of a junior team at Trinity for the past nine years.
Rankothge has blown at the Singapore Sevens, the Under 20 World Cup Qualifiers in China (2005). The Junior World Cup qualifiers (Korea, 2008), the Dubai sevens (2009 and 2010) and the Asian five nation top division matches have all been grist to his mill.
He has also passed the level 3IRB Referees Certificate. While not doubting the fact that Rankothge erred in the match in question, the fact that most of his peers are standing by him in his hour of need should be very encouraging.
Rankothge has blown the whistle in countries far afield as Dubai, Philippines, Indonesia, Kazakhastan, Thailand and China.
Rankothge has few regrets at throwing in the towel. He fells that he has given of his best and that his detractors are swayed by other considerations.
Hardly a game passes without the referee being under intense scrutiny. Rankothge has absorbed all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. He hopes that his fate will not befall any other referee.
He points out that he served on the ‘A’ and ‘B’ panels of the Asian Rugby Football Union to the entire satisfaction of the ARFU. He has apologised for the tiny blot on his escutcheon. However, the hands have been baying for his blood.
Accordingly, he has given written notice to the authorities that he will not continue after January 31st 2014. There is only so much a referee can take and Rankothge has given his resignation, effective 31st January.
