For someone who used to officiate in the HCA league cricket championship in 1992 for a modest payment of ₹25 a day, Ilias Shameem has come a long way but in a different discipline — volleyball.
The 47-year-old, who moved to the city from Kurnool three decades ago, is widely acknowledged as one of the most efficient referees in the sport and is now headed for the Asian Women’s U23 Volleyball Championship to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from July 13 to 21.
This physical director at Methodist College of Engineering and Technology has rarely missed officiating in the senior national volleyball championships since 2001. He earned the international referee badge in 2003.
Shameem owes a lot to the constant support extended by former Volley Federation of India secretary general K. Murugan and late L. Venkatram Reddy, the pioneer in volleyball promotion, and former secretary of AP Volleyball Association for close to five decades. His seniors, Mohan Rao and Athar Raza, have also kept Shameem motivated with constant words of advice and appreciation.
“I am glad that what I could not achieve as a player, I have as an official, going abroad and keeping myself up to date with the latest rules and regulations,” he says.
What makes Shameem special in his field is his jovial nature; he hardly misses an opportunity to ease tension on the court, thanks to his wit. “I think the 2011 South-East Asian Games in Indonesia, the Club Championship and the Pro Volleyball League earlier this year have been some of the high points of my career as everyone appreciated my job,” he recalls proudly.
