The FIFA Referees Committee released the names of the selected match officials for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. In close collaboration with six confederations, 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials’ were selected. It was based on their quality and previous performances at FIFA tournaments and other international and domestic competitions. The FIFA Referees Committee has named three women referees and three women assistant referees for the first time in the FIFA World Cup history.
FIFA’s official list of 36 referees includes Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan.
Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico, Kathryn Nesbitt from the US are among the 69 assistant referees.
First time in FIFA World Cup History
“We are very happy that with Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan, as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico, and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA, we have been able to call up female match officials for the first time in the history of a FIFA World Cup,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.
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 emphasize that it is quality that counts for us and not genders. I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women`s match officials for essential 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,” concluded Pierluigi Collina.
Progress
FIFA’s Director of Refereeing is Massimo Busacca. She assures match officials that they will receive all essential support from FIFA since their preparation is crucial.
“Thanks to an innovative tracking and support program, all the match officials can be supervised by FIFA referees` instructors even more closely and intensively than in previous years. This is a very important factor, from which we expect considerable improvements and progress in view of the FIFA World Cup 2022,” explained Busacca
The selected match officials will attend early summer seminars in Asuncion, Madrid, and Doha. There, they will review and analyze video clips of real match situations and participate in practical training sessions with players. Filming of the same will take place so that participants can receive immediate feedback from the instructors.
Frappart has refereed in the 2019 European Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea. She has also refereed at the men’s Champions League.
Yamashita was a referee in the 2019 Women’s World Cup at the Tokyo Olympics last year. She was the first woman to officiate men’s professional games in Japan’s J-League last year. She will be the first to call Asian Champions League games this year.
