Ramdhan set to hang up whistle

Ramdhan announced that last Friday’s First Citizens Bank (FCB) Cup final between W Connection and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh, at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, will be his last competitive game on local soil.

With the game’s governing body FIFA stipulating that officials must retire at age 45, Ramdhan will have to bow out of action by year’s end, as he turned 45 on July 25. An international referee since 1991, Ramdhan said on Friday night: "It was an honour, a privilege to serve football this long and come out while I’m still on top.

"I feel good about (Friday) night and I think it’s a good way to go," he added. The Rio Claro resident has been involved in tournaments locally, regionally and globally, including the 1998 World Cup in France and a number of CONCACAF Gold Cup competitions.

"The World Cup will be the pinnacle of my career," he said. "I’ll also cherish the two Gold Cup Finals that I did. Those would have been my highlights."

Ramdhan served as the referee during the finals of the 1996 and 1998 Gold Cups in Los Angeles, which Mexico won on both occasions, against Brazil (2-0) and hosts United States (1-0) respectively.

And the easy-going Ramdhan has made it clear where his intentions lie in the future.

"I’ll like to give back what I got from refereeing to the young referees and that’s where I’ll concentrate my energies on," he stated.