Women will officiate in a men’s World Cup in Qatar for the first time, which is a great step for female officials everywhere.
The 129 match officials who will cover the 64 matches will include three referees and three assistant referees; their selections have nothing to do with gender and are solely based on ability. The selection of the 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials was based on how well they performed in FIFA matches as well as other national and international championships. The choices mark the end of a drawn-out process that began several years ago with the use of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior competitions.
When she takes charge of Costa Rica vs. Germany, French referee Stéphanie Frappart will head the first all-female officiating crew for a men’s World Cup game. According to a FIFA announcement on Tuesday, Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Daz Medina of Mexico will serve as Frappart’s assistant referees for the pivotal Group E match on Thursday. Frappart will be the first female referee to oversee a men’s World Cup match.
US Women’s National Soccer Team finally reaches agreement over equal pay
At the Al Bayt Stadium, the 38-year-old will reach another professional milestone. She has already officiated Ligue 1 games, the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final, a men’s World Cup qualifier in March, a men’s Champions League game in 2020, and a men’s World Cup match.
Frappart served as the fourth official in Group C’s scoreless draw between Mexico and Poland. Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan were the other two referees who made up FIFA’s list of World Cup officials. The US official Kathryn Nesbitt was also called up as a helper along with Back and Daz Medina. Before the competition started, Frappart expressed her hope that having female referees in Qatar would “make things happen” more generally. She remarked that there are female referees in that nation is a significant sign from FIFA and the government.
