Doha: Ambition and self-realization do not know the difference between a man and a woman. Whoever has the will and determination will reach his goal. With these words, women’s arbitration in the world of football marked its development and wrote a new chapter of success with its presence in the World Cup in Qatar.
In an event that has been waiting for nearly 9 decades, women have the right to officiate the World Cup matches for the first time in history after the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) selected three women referees and the same to help the referee to participate in the World Cup in Qatar.
French Stephanie Frappar, Rwandan Salima Mukansanga, and Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita were included in the list of 36 referees chosen by FIFA, while three other women will participate as assistant referees.
The three arena referees chosen in addition to the assistant referees are the Brazilian Noiza Pak, the Mexican Karen Dias Medina and the American Catherine Nesbitt after they proved themselves in the men’s game.
3 rulers of the arena
The three women— French Stephanie Frappart, Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita, agree that they do not want their gender to be an area of discussion and do not seek the limelight and that the choice is no longer related to sex, but rather to ability.
The choice of the trio to participate in the World Cup in Qatar did not come out of anywhere, as each of them has a success story on the green field.
Stephanie Frappart
The 38-year-old French Stephanie Frappart, who is the most prominent of them, the World Cup in Qatar is a logical continuation of a rapid rise: first in the French second division (2014), then in the first division for men (2019), and in the European Super Cup (August 2019), And in the Champions League (December 2020), and in the French Cup final (May 2022). All of this made her delegate herself to the French and European arbitration scene.
Yoshimi Yamashita
In turn, the 36-year-old Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita experienced a similar development in her country, becoming the first woman to run a match in the AFC Champions League in 2019. Her selection as a field referee for the World Cup is another step to consolidate her professional status, which is enough to make her give up her activity as a fitness teacher.
Mukansanga
As for 34-year-old Rwandan Salima Mukansanga, who became the first woman to referee the World Cup matches, months after she was chosen as the first female referee in the men’s African Cup of Nations at the beginning of this year.
The World Cup is scheduled to start on Sunday, November 20, and will continue until December 18, which is the first time that the most important football event in the world is held in the Middle East.
Qatar expects more than a million fans to come to the country during the World Cup over the course of the 29-day tournament, and FIFA has a long-term sponsorship contract with the beer-producing giant Budweiser owned by AB InBev.
