True Winner

‘Jeetu’

(From left to right) Jeetu Rao, Myself, Viraj Makhwane

As I entered the premises of the Mumbai School Sports Association, the apparent look of defeat or a win on the faces of the school children there was drowned by the excitement of an intense football game. Referees, Jeetu Rao and Viraj Makhwane presided over the match with equal interest and professionalism.

A native of Jharkhand, 43-year-old Rao has been working as a full-time football referee at the Mumbai School Sports Association for the past eight years. He lost his mother when he was only ten years old. His agonies were piled on when he lost his father six years back. 

Despite a tense family situation during his entire childhood, he continued playing football. At just 15, he gave his first football trial for Hostel Jharkhand. Between 1982-1985 he went on to represent Hostel Faizabad, Sports College Lucknow, a few teams in Banaras and the Williamson Magore Academy in Assam.  He went on to represent Uttar Pradesh (UP) at the under-19 and under-21 level and later made it to the I- League, Durand Cup and the Santosh Trophy.  By 23, Rao became a renowned figure in the footballing circuit.  

Jeetu attributes most of his football acumen to a former Mohan player-turned-coach P.Anand.  As our conversation went along, Jeetu opened his jar of hits and misses.

An incident involving Manas Thapa, son of former I-League player Shyam Thapa continues to haunt Rao.  Confidence-wise, he was at his peak when Thapa replaced him in the Assam Academy.  Both players targeted the same midfield role. But with the backing of his powerful father, Thapa made it past Rao during selection. After pulling strings at the administrative level, Jeetu was left out of the Assam Academy.  But he was relentless and continued to pursue his dream of making it big in the Indian footballing circuit. He gave a number of trials before landing an offer from the Churchill Brothers Football Club (F.C)(I-League first division team in Goa).  Coaches such as Shivdas, Alphonso and a foreigner (whose name he couldn’t remember) alongside future Indian players like Noel Wilson, Rao was introduced to the international standards and infrastructure.  He made a special mention of Uday Kunal, a teammate in Goa, who according to him, was a better player than a future Indian Football Team Captain Baichung Bhutia.   

However, a dreadful knee injury curtailed his career. Ironically the pain of injury was palpable when he told that Manas Thapa went on to represent India in times to come. Rao came to Mumbai in 2001 at the age of 30 and played for local clubs like Young Stars F.C and New Indians F.C.  

With age not on his side and a wife and two children to sustain, he worked in a readymade garments shop in Borivali as a salesman. As we talked, a teary-eyed Jeetu was reminded of a dream, his unfulfilled potential and deep dark scars.  But with time, this dream has changed.  He stays connected to the game as an official, training the future 'Jeetus' of India with the same passion and belief with which he used to play.