Her journey to the football field started as a toddler, catching the hand of her father, she would cry to go to the football matches in Curtorim village with him. When she was six, Rebello would kick the ball around with the village boys.

In conservative India, few girls take up sports and fewer still carry on in the sporting tradition, what with the lack of opportunities and hurdles in a girl’s path. For Rebello, the initial fire in her for the game was started by her selection to the state junior squad in bizarre circumstances.

“Destiny has something in store for us, we plan something but destiny takes a different route,” says Maria of her first big break.

In 1987, she was coaxed by her neighbour and friend Sarita to have a go at the selection trials for the state girls’ junior team. Rebello got the selector’s nod while her friend could not.

Rebello recalls that at the time she did not know what ‘position’ in football meant and when coach Alexinho Fernandes asked her which position she would like to play she had replied, “I want to score goals and goals.”

But coach Fernandes suggested that she play in the midfielder’s role as she had good ball control. From there, she steadily progressed from the state junior squad to the senior squads of both Goa and Maharashtra and ultimately, to the India squad.

Rebello represented the country on six occasions and captained the squad once. For added inspiration, two of her brothers played for the top clubs in Mumbai and Goa. When asked, whether she has any more goals after getting her FIFA badge, Rebello shot back, “Human beings’ goals are unlimited,” and then added that as of now she would, “take the challenges as they come.”

Rebello became the first Goan woman referee in Mumbai in 1999. Subsequently, she was appointment as a referee in Goa and then was elevated to a class II referee in her home state. “I paid more attention to the job with the help and encouragement from my parents and Mumbai-based referees, SS Shetty, M Suvarna, Antonio Pinto, assistant FIFA referee Walter Pereira,” Rebello said.

It was the elite WIFA Mumbai league that exposed her to the competitive arena of refereeing. “The matches helped me a lot in many ways. I learned the finer points of officiating and also about the levels of fitness required. I became very serious about the job,” Rebello said.

For six years prior to becoming a FIFA referee, she officiated men’s matches, assisted by two assistant referees. When asked about the difference officiating men’s and women’s matches Rebello said, “As men’s football moves are more organised, it is easier for the referees but women’s football sometimes takes a hit and run format, which is quite a challenge for the referees.”

Her advice for Indian women is to take up sports to keep fit and healthy, as sports activity gives one a younger look. Taking the rough with the smooth is something every football official learns along the way. Rebello has had her share of flak over the years. But she has made it a point to learn from her mistakes and move along, not allowing the setbacks to pull her down.