With the announcement by Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh that he will retire from the profession, the Malaysian League will lose an illustrious referee.
Subkhiddin, 45, said he had taken into consideration many aspects before making the decision, including his intention to give room to a new breed of referees.
"I want to spend more time with my family," he told Bernama here Friday. "I've been too busy all this while."
Subkhiddin, who hails from Parit Buntar, Perak, started blowing the whistle for international matches during the Japan/Korea FIFA World Cup 2002 qualifying rounds, and ended his international-level career at the at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
The referee, who is also a teacher in Sekolah Vokasional Nibong Tebal, said that he will still offer advice and tips to those who are interested in refereeing.
"In this profession, there is no specific coach who can teach new referees, like a football coach coaching players," he said. "Junior referees have to develop the skills by themselves -- that is, by learning from seniors who have more experience.
"That was what I did when I was first selected as FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) referee in 1997," he said.
Subkhiddin said he had learned much about refereeing from his seniors, the late Mohd Nazmin Abdullah and Ahmad Yacob.
"If junior referees wish to be good in this profession, I hope they will not be too shy to ask for guidance," he said.
Subkhiddin, who ventured into the local refereeing arena in the 1990s, said he also hopes that the young breed of referees will be given a chance to shine in the arena.
"The selection of referee must be done in a transparent manner, so that we can produce more professional referees who can be fielded at the international level," he said.
When contacted, FAM Referees Committee chairman Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz said he would try to persuade Subkhiddin to consider postponing his retirement.
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