(Shantir) The Man Who Made Us Cheer for (The Referee)
Mohamed Abdel Majed
It must be said that the Sudanese referee Mahmoud Ali Ismail, famously known as (Shantir), imposed himself on us and obligated us to write about him, to praise him. When we write about him today, we are not supporting him as much as we are supporting ourselves by aligning with professionalism and praising it, out of respect for proficiency and appreciation for it, before it becomes an appreciation for him.
We admit that Shantir outpaced us, and we acknowledge that we are latecomers, as usual, in this field. But, as the saying goes, better late than never.
In Sudan, on both the media and public levels, we do not support those who represent the country abroad, and we do not provide them with the support they deserve until after they prove their eligibility and worthiness abroad. Only then do we pay attention to them, and this is a flaw in us that we must admit. Whats worse is that we can be harsher on them than the foreign media when they fail or make ordinary mistakes.
In this open world and global "village," we must support our representatives abroad, because the first impression comes from us. In fact, the first appreciations are given by the media and the audience that the countrys representative belongs to.
There are stars that the media creates and protects, providing them with support. We are not required to flatter or lie, as much as we need to deal with our representatives abroad with awareness and responsibility.
In the years 2010 to 2014, a young and educated referee named Wadidi El-Fateh appeared on the arbitration scene. In a short period, this referee managed to attract attention and stir controversy after taking center stage. The General Union assigned him to manage many difficult and important matches, and in a short period, he refereed two matches for the Sudanese summit, Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh.
Wadidi El-Fateh, despite his distinction and personality on the field, was not successful in managing the summit matches. He awarded a clear penalty to Al-Hilal, which became the straw that broke the camels back. After that, he faced a strong attack from Al-Hilals media. I remember that we criticized him fiercely, and Al-Hilals fans classified him as a supporter of the red camp. This referee disappeared from the scene and preferred to distance himself and withdraw from the sports scene after the attacks and criticisms that may have crossed the red lines.
This referee, despite the mistakes he made, could have been an addition to Sudanese refereeing. We may be questioned about his departure because we were harsh in our criticism.
In the media, we sometimes harshly criticize, but our consolation is always that part of building a creative person and the necessities of stardom is that they overcome all the stumbling blocks they face. Shantir has matured now because he overcame the criticisms he faced. Shantir was stronger than Wadidi El-Fateh because he overcame the campaigns he faced from the media and the public.
I believe that the honorable Abu Shanab was also among the referees who knew how to overcome the campaigns they were subjected to, sometimes from Al-Hilals media and other times more severely from Al-Merreikhs media, which classified him as a supporter of the blue camp. The honorable Abu Shanab succeeded in the recent years in gaining the respect and appreciation of everyone. Therefore, all the difficult matches that were surrounded by controversy and debate were assigned to him, and he managed to safely conclude the match.
On the local level, I was not convinced of Mahmoud Shantir, and I saw that he was unfair to Al-Hilal and favored others. That was until I saw him in foreign matches, and I found that this referee is worthy of celebration and pride. It is certain that Shantir has developed a lot recently after getting rid of internal pressures, although he faces greater external pressures as he referees for Al-Ahly of Egypt, Wydad and Raja of Morocco, Esperance of Tunisia, and Sundowns of South Africa.
In the past season, after the events of the Al-Hilal and Al-Ahly match, and the racist chants by the Al-Ahly Egyptian fans against Al-Hilal players, the African Football Confederation assigned referee Mahmoud Ismail to manage the Al-Ahly and Raja match in the quarter-finals of the African Champions League. It was the most difficult match after the events of the Al-Hilal and Al-Ahly match in Cairo. Al-Ahlys media and fans announced their fear of the Sudanese referee who managed the match excellently and received praise after the match from Egyptian refereeing experts.
Before that, he had managed the Simba and Al-Ahly match, which the latter lost in Dar es Salaam in the African Champions League 1/0. After the experiences gained by Shantir and the global stardom he achieved, Shantir must have weight, value, and a role in the upcoming local matches, as he imposes everyones respect for him, earning his worthiness from abroad.
Shantir has progressed a lot through my follow-up of him in recent matches, such as the Wydad and Sundowns match in the first leg of the African League final, which is more difficult than the second leg match because it is played in Morocco amidst the passionate and large Wydad fans.
Sundowns fans do not exert pressure on the referees like the fans of North African clubs. Shantir succeeded in Egypt and Morocco, and I believe he succeeded before in Tunisia and Algeria. He also succeeded in managing the Mazembe and Esperance match in the same championship. As a result of that success, the African Union assigned him to manage matches in those countries, whose clubs have large and influential fans.
Its clear that the African Union is preparing Shantir to present him in the World Cup finals, to be the first Sudanese referee, God willing, to manage a match in the World Cup finals from the center of the field. The "CAF" shows its interest in this referee and its confidence in him through the difficult matches it assigns to him. Therefore, Shantir must be more careful and vigilant in the upcoming matches as he moves towards glory with steady and confident steps.
Shantir must work to achieve the highest grades in the upcoming matches. He has succeeded remarkably in the match between Mazembe and Esperance of Tunisia in Dar es Salaam, and the match between Wydad and Sundowns in the first leg of the African League final, and before that, he succeeded in managing the Al-Ahly and Raja match in the previous season.
When a referee reaches this stage, he is under the scrutiny of everyone, including the International Football Federation. This requires Shantir to be more cautious and careful, as he has become a well-known referee to everyone. I found that some criticized Shantir for the penalty he awarded in favor of Sundowns, because he was supposed to award it before returning to VAR, and VARs intervention can reduce the full grade he could have gotten in the match, even though VAR was put in place for such situations.
The coach of Sundowns said that Wydad player Ayoub Al-Almoud deserved the red card, and we do not agree with him on that, because the elbow was not noticeably and deliberately raised, and the blow was not strong or dangerous.
Shantir stands out with a strong personality on the field despite the beautiful relationship he creates with players from both teams. He is a referee who, despite all the pressures he faces and the push and pull, remains smiling throughout the match. Shantirs influence and personality on the field, despite their strength, do not overshadow the match and its events. Sometimes you hardly notice him, and he only appears in moments that require his presence. In this, he resembles the distinguished Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa. A good referee is one you dont notice in the match while maintaining complete control over it.
Shantir has made us follow the matches he manages abroad and enjoy the referees performance, movements, and whistles. We have become fans of (the referee) because of Shantir, and we are from the school of (refereeing is a failure). It seems that Shantir will make us change this concept and the chant that prevails in our stadiums. In the match between Wydad and Sundowns, I said that I would support (the referee).
Shantir should pay attention to the small details and precise observations if he wants to reach the global stage and manage matches in the World Cup finals, to be the first Sudanese referee to manage a match in the World Cup finals from the center of the field. The difference between a world-class referee and a continental referee lies in the small details, and that is what I advise Shantir. And between genius and madness, there is a fine line, and Shantir must not neglect that line.
Despite the suspension of activities in Sudan, Shantirs physical and mental fitness is excellent, and his movements on the field are good. Shantir may face difficulties abroad due to the suspension of domestic activities, and we must not forget that Shantir deals abroad with video technology referees that are not present in Sudan, even if activities resume.
I cannot forget the assistant referee Mohammed Abdullah Nyala, whose flag even outperforms the VAR lines, even though Nyala raised some controversy by counting an offside from a ball played by the goalkeeper. But, in my opinion, Nyala is the best assistant referee on the African continent.
There is another referee who moves quietly and achieves success in silence, and that is the referee Sabri Mohamed Fadil. He is also one of the promising names that can play a significant role in the coming period. I also do not forget the successes of the former assistant referee and international referee Walid Mohamed Ahmed, who honored us in international forums. The success of any Sudanese in any forum is a pride for us and a crown on our heads. Support everyone who achieves success with Sudanese nationality.
