Colombian FIFA referee Wilmar Roldan began refereeing at the young age of 12, in local and regional tournaments. In February 2003 he refereed his first official professional football match and obtained the FIFA badge in January 2008, at the age of 28. In addition, he has a degree in Physical Education, graduating from the Universidad Autonoma Latinoamericana (UNAULA). Beyond recognizing and accepting the difficulties that a large part of the world had to face - and continues to do so - given the situation of the coronavirus pandemic, he affirms that 2020 "was one of the best years of my career."
- Why was it one of the best years for you?
- It is no secret to anyone that sport was one of the worst hit sectors, in the atypical 2020. There was a lot of uncertainty with all the events canceled. At the local level, it has not yet been possible to resume activities, which is why I have stopped my refereeing school since March. It was something new for us. As we could see, no one was prepared to face this. However, thank God, when everything came back, I finished very well and was able to show all my professionalism in the middle of this bad situation.
- And how do you explain this?
- Every day I woke up to train with that dream. The first months of confinement were difficult, but the human being is already adapting, so I did not stop training. I am in the final stretch of my career and I did not want the pandemic to take a year from me. I lived each game with great enthusiasm. I did not mind being away from my family for 15 days or traveling by car for hours. I enjoyed all that and it showed on the pitch, that's why 2020 was one of my best years at a professional level.
- How do you rate South American refereeing in general?
- If you watch the leagues in the world, mistakes are made everywhere. If we take it to our context, refereeing is always going to be very subjective because there is passion. You're never going to want the team you love to be whistled against. But we have young referees, there is a generational change and they are gaining experience. This is like footballers, they have to add matches to make as few mistakes as possible and become better. Wilmar Roldan was not the same 10 years ago as it is today.
- Do you miss the crowds in stadiums?
- Totally. I like a stadium full of people. See that folklore that we all know and see the passion that their team awakens in people. That makes our sport different.
- When would you like to retire?
- Will continue until the leaders want to have me there and continue to give guarantees. I would like to finish my career well. The issue of the pandemic served as a grounding for me. Enjoy the moment more. I live each game as if it were the last and the people who know me congratulate me because they realize that.
- What do you say to those who want to follow in your footsteps?
- In my organization, I tell referees that they have to take it as a mean and not as an end. Regardless of the pandemic, very few make a living from refereeing because here we do not have a contract, they pay us for each match. So, until it becomes professional, that is our reality. I know how difficult it is because I had to endure hunger and, at this time, I put my hand in my pocket to help referees who did not have a job.
Source: Gol Caracol
