Riiohlang Dhar, a woman constable from Meghalaya has been selected in the elite list of FIFA International Referee from the country. She has not only made her state proud with her achievement but also the entire Northeast region. She is among the four women referees selected from India.
Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma took to Twitter to wish Dhar on her achievement.
Big congratulations to WC Riiohlang Dhar, 1st MLP, for qualifying as a #FIFA International Referee. She is among 4 #women selected from India.
Wishing her good luck and many more success!@KirenRijiju @IndiaSports @IndianFootball @MeghalayaPolice pic.twitter.com/reZHr09fAj
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) October 24, 2020
Earlier in 2018, Dhar was among the three FIFA women referees from India, to pass the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) course for ‘elite’ referees. Hailing from Jowai town in West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, Dhar was encouraged by her parents to pursue her love for football. By profession, Dhar is a police personnel but her passion for football has motivated her to manage time and keep a balance between the two.
Much like her, her father was also a policeman and always took a day off on the day of her match. However, she was on the brink of quitting the sport after her parents passed away. But the encouragement that she had always received from her parents motivated her to pull herself together and gather the spirit to work on her dream. Although Dhar had met with various negative comments in the past, she always chose to ignore them and move on towards achieving her dream. Dhar’s encouraging story has not only inspired women but men alike.