LAUSANNE: For the first time ever there will be women referees at a men’s World Cup finals after FIFA revealed the list for the quadrennial tournament being hosted later this year by Qatar.
France’s Stephanie Frappart, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita are among the 36 match referees.
Brazil’s Neuza Back, Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina and American Kathryn Nesbitt have been named in the 69 assistant referees.
“We are very happy that … we have been able to call up female match officials for the first time in the history of a FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina.
“This finishes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior competitions.
“In this way, we clearly underline that it is quality that counts for us and not gender. I would hope that in the future, the selection of outstanding women’s match officials for important men’s championships will be viewed as something usual and no longer as sensational.”
All match officials for the finals will attend in early summer workshops in Asuncion, Madrid and Doha.
“We can’t eradicate all mistakes, but we will do everything we can to minimise them,” said Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Director of Refereeing.
