Football: From hugging the touchline to prowling it with a flag, ex-winger Oswind Suriya gets his second wind

SINGAPORE – Flying down the flanks, winger Oswind Suriya was more than a handful for defenders during his playing days for Woodlands Wellington.

On Feb 26, nine years after his last appearance as a player, the 34-year-old made his second debut in Singapore’s professional football league, this time with a flag in hand.

Oswind was an assistant referee in Hougang United’s 3-2 win over Balestier Khalsa, becoming only the second player to make the transition to match officiating in the Singapore Premier League, formerly known as the S-League.

The first was T. Aravinthan, former captain of the now-defunct Sembawang Rangers, who was a referee. In the women’s game, former national footballer Abirami Naidu is also one of Singapore’s longest-serving international referees.

Oswind, who is a Class 1 referee – one step below a top-level Fifa referee – took up the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) referees basic course while he was still a player in 2012, as he wanted to see the game from a different perspective.

He became more passionate about refereeing after observing match officials as a player.

“I was fascinated by the way they handled the games and the players while also not being distracted by the crowd,” he said. “I just liked how they projected themselves and I would always think of how I could do a similar thing.”

While Oswind, who also represented Singapore in futsal and floorball, is back on the pitch, there are big differences now.

He said: “In terms of fatigue, as a player, it was higher and way more tiring. But as a linesman, you need 100 per cent focus at all times. You need to always stay in line with the last defender. You need to be alert all the time. If you choose to snooze, it’s going to be disaster.

“As a player, you could take a breather during corners or goal kicks, for example. It is a different ball game.”

Oswind hopes to become a referee in the future. He is already playing that role in floorball, having officiated at the men’s World Floorball Championship.

He also coaches floorball for a living, helming several school teams. Communication and coordination help him shuffle between the many hats that he wears.

At the start of each month, he would state his availability to officiate in football and floorball matches. When there is an occasional clash in commitments, he will rope in a friend to cover his coaching duties.

Despite how packed his days can be, Oswind, who is engaged, wants to play his part as an official to improve the level of football and floorball in Singapore.

FAS director of referees Nazeer Hussain said former professional footballers like Oswind are better equipped to make good referees as they should have a “better understanding and practical knowledge of the game”.

He said: “Being former professional athletes themselves, they would also generally possess greater athleticism and be able to connect better with other players and garner greater respect as they have once walked in the same shoes.”

Oswind’s experience as a top-level floorball match official is also a plus point, said Nazeer, adding: “He is also able to bring the soft skill approach such as demonstrating empathy with the players, which is something that cannot really be taught since it is more intuitive rather than instilled.”

Oswind’s return to the league has already turned the heads of his former teammates. On Feb 26, he raised his flag to rule out a goal from Hougang forward Gabriel Quak, who flashed a sheepish smile in return.

They were previously national Under-18 teammates at the now-defunct National Football Academy (NFA).

“It did feel weird to look across and see him flagging. Back in our NFA days, I was always starting ahead of him and perhaps he bore some grudges,” said Quak, with tongue in cheek. “But jokes aside, it was great to see him exploring this opportunity and I hope he can go far in his career as a referee.”

From being a menace to defenders, Oswind’s transformation to being a scourge of attackers is complete.