MUSCAT: For the first time in the tournament’s history, FIFA has recruited three female referees and three female assistant referees ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The recruitment of six female match officials for the FIFA World Cup is a pivotal event in the sport, as it is the first time in the tournament’s 92-year history that female referees will be in control of men’s World Cup finals matches.
Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan were chosen as female referees. Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico, and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States are the female assistant referees.
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Speaking on the decision, the chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina said: “This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior tournaments.
“In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender.
“I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for important men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational.
“They deserve to be at the FIFA World Cup because they constantly perform at a really high level, and that’s the important factor for us.”
