PIC: Amarjit Singh in the thick of action.
Pic: Amarjit to keep his whistle.NEWLY appointed Malaysian Hockey Federation Umpires Board (MHFUB) chairman Amarjit Singh knows his work is cut out, as he will have to start from scratch to re-build this often neglected side of hockey.
And the fact that Amarjit, 44, still wants to actively blow at the international level until the mandatory retirement age of 47, is going to make it more challenging for him.
“I will be frank on my appointment. There is much work to do, and two years is not enough to complete it. But I will give my best, especially in the development of young umpires.
“I also intent to keep of umpiring at the international level, as my appointments come directly from either the AHF (Asian Hockey Federation) or the FIH (International Hockey Federation) and there is no question of being biased to my fellow umpires,” said Amarjit.
The Ipoh-born Amarjit is credited with having umpired at three World Cups and four Olympics, with his last ap pointment being the Beijing Olympics.
And if anybody knows the problems that have been hindering development in MHFUB, it is Amarjit.
“I will be holding my first MHFUB committee meeting in December where I will give my views, and get feedback from members on how to uplift the standard of umpires and umpiring in the country.
“Basically, from my two decades experience of umpiring at the local and international level I know what are the problems faced by my fellow umpires, and it will make my work that much easier as I will be going in with many ideas.
“But I need help from all quarters in the MHF and my fellow umpires as the time-frame is too short, while there is plenty of work to do,” said Amarjit.
His next appointment as an umpire, as listed on the FIH website, is the Punjab Gold Cup in January 2009.
