Thailand’s Pirom Anprasert is probably the only referee in the world to become a national tourism symbol.
It was at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France where Pirom made his mark, his face capturing the hearts of fans in a manner similar to that of famed Italian referee Pierluigi Collina.
But while Collina’s image was of haunting eyes and a bald pate, Pirom’s motif was rather more simplistic and exemplified what Thailand was all about – his smile.
Pirom gave out three yellow cards in two matches during the 1998 World Cup – all accompanied by a wide smile that disarmed the players and won him many fans.
With Thailand famous around the world as the ‘Land of Smiles’, Pirom’s actions were quite appropriate.
Indeed, one of his “smiley cards” was captured by a photographer and the picture was eventually used in one of the country’s tourism campaigns, with the catch-line: ‘Thailand, the land of smiles’.
“It was my personal style to relax the game,” Pirom told the-AFC.com. “I always like to cool down the match no matter how tense the atmosphere.
“Every time I made a decision or gave out a card, it came with a smile to the player. It was sort of my trademark to bring the out the smiling face of a referee to the pitch.”
Confederations Cup final
Now retired, Pirom had been smiling his way through football matches for many years. His first big break came at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in France, where he was given the honour of refereeing the final between Brazil and Australia.
He was then a shoo-in for the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, taking charge of two group stage matches – Morocco versus Norway in Montpellier, which finished 2-2 and Paraguay’s 3-1 victory over Nigeria in Toulouse.
He was also on stand-by for Brazil’s 4-1, second-round victory over Chile in Paris.
“It was an unforgettable memory,” he said. “I was selected as one of four referees from Asia to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.
“It was an honour for me and my country. The fact that I was asked to referee an opening day match (Morocco versus Norway) also made me feel very proud.”
Self-development
Pirom’s emergence as a world-class referee came at a time when there was a lack of quality development programmes for Asian referees. He relied on his own experiences and thirst for knowledge to enhance his skills.
He started out by taking charge of local competitions before he was spotted by the Thailand Football Association, which sent him to FIFA for further education.
He made rapid progress and, in 1995, was selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sweden.
The following year, he was chosen for an Olympic assignment in Atlanta before his turns at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and 1998 FIFA World Cup.
“In those days, there were only a few courses and even these were rare. We had to work by ourselves to improve,” said Pirom.
“Young referees these days have much more resources to learn, which is very good. They have the support to become good referees in the future.”
Home service
Pirom is now Director of the Referee Institute in Thailand as well as Director of Referees Instructors for the Thai FA.
He has also served as an AFC Referees Instructor, Referee Recruiter and match video analyser. Pirom was full of praise for the AFC’s initiative to designate 2009 Asian Referees Year and September 1 as Asian Referees Day.
“We are very grateful to AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam,” he said. “Never before have Asian referees received such recognition.
“Because of the AFC, we have seen many courses, seminars and training programmes for referees every year.
“Referees have worked very hard for Asian football and it is great that they are now being recognised for their efforts.”
Joe Patit Suphaphongs
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