The FIFA men’s World Cup will have female referees for the first time in history. Learn everything there is to know about the 36 referees selected for the competition, including Stephanie Frappart, Salima Mukansanga, and Yamashita Yoshimi. These three officials are making history as they oversee the men’s football World Cup in Qatar. Kathryn Nesbitt from the United States, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico, and Neuza Back from Brazil are three of the 69 assistant referees going to the World Cup. Here is all the information you need to know about the groundbreaking FIFA officials.
Yamashita Yoshimi
Yamashita Yomishi, a Japanese official who officiated in the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, will take part in the 2019 Men’s FIFA World Cup, making history in the process. Additionally, she officiated a match between Sweden and the United States in the 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021. Yamashita was on the whistle for Melbourne City’s 2-1 victory over Jeonnam Dragons in the AFC Champions League and FC Tokyo’s 2-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga in the J1 League being the first female referee to ever do so. The 36-year-old is relishing the chance to make history despite the responsibilities and expectations that come with overseeing the games. She said that there aren’t enough female referees in the Middle East and that the World Cup in Qatar might act as a catalyst to alter that. The fact that women are serving as referees in a FIFA men’s World Cup is a “message to other people that women’s potential is always growing,” Yoshimi continued. She claimed that she had strong feelings about it.
Salima Mukansanga
Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda has been serving as a FIFA World Cup referee since 2012. When she was younger, Mukansanga had an ambition of being a professional basketball player. She once mentioned that access to basketball infrastructure was difficult, despite the fact that she enjoyed basketball and wanted to take it seriously. She admitted she never regretted how she came to end up refereeing. Mukansanga attended the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and is currently in Qatar thanks to it. She also participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics the previous year. She also served as the captain for the men’s Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. She stated that working in the 2019 Women’s World Cup is “every referee’s dream” after being named as an official.
Stephanie Frappart
Frappart, 38, has incredible achievement to add to her resume. In her maiden World Cup final in France in 2019, she assumed control. She officiated at the UEFA Super Cup final the same year while continuing to pursue her aspirations. By officiating the first men’s Champions League match as a woman referee in 2020, Frappart made history. A year later, she took control of the second leg of the women’s UCL round of 16 match between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea, continuing her success story. She officiated the 2022 Coupe de France championship match. The fact that Frappart won the World’s Best Woman Referee award from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) three years in a row starting in 2019 indicates that her work was well recognized. The Frenchwoman claimed that women referees at the mega games would send a powerful statement in reference to her remarkable appearance at the next FIFA men’s World Cup in 2022. She claimed that FIFA and the authorities are sending a clear message by using female referees. Frappart also thought that by making this choice, things would change for women.
Assistant women referees
There will be three additional female officials in addition to the stunning female trio. This is one of the 69 assistant referees chosen by FIFA for the World Cup. As they participate in the competition and officiate in Qatar, Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico, and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States will go down in history.
Medina’s career as a referee began by sheer accident, but she has a strong intuition that the job makes one fall more and more in love with football every day. American Nesbitt decided to become a referee as a summer job. It’s noteworthy to note that she was a chemistry professor before to the 2019 Women’s World Cup. In 2020, she was recognized as the top assistant referee in Major League Soccer (MLS). The USA star achieved a historic achievement. She stated in an interview with FIFA that it has been an utter honor to hear that she is now seen as a role model for women. The 37-year-old Back’s trajectory tale, meanwhile, is a genuine joy to read.
Back was not even aware that her name was on the 69-name list of assistant referees for the men’s FIFA World Cup 2022 until the press made the announcement. She characterized the event as amazing and beyond words. She described it as a happy and appreciative moment. Back told media reporters that she felt a small feeling of responsibility at the same time. The stakes are great and the pressure is on, but in spite of everything, the pioneering officials chosen for the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar are prepared to take advantage of the chance presented, which has helped to make history and become a defining moment.