…Soma hadithi hii kwa kiswahili
An all-female refereeing team, for the first time in history, will officiate matches at the Men’s World Cup.
The French Stephanie Frappart along with the Brazilian Neuza Back and the Mexican Karen Díaz Medina will lead the match in which the teams of Costa Rica and Germany will meet this Thursday, at the Al Bayt stadium.
Frappart has already broken history in Qatar by becoming the first female referee of the tournament, when she was named the fourth referee of the match between Mexico and Poland last Tuesday.
“We know the pressure,” the Frenchwoman told the BBC before the start of the World Cup.
Everything for the first time
The 38-year-old Frenchwoman has already made history in European football. In 2019, she became the first woman to referee a Super Cup match and in 2020 she did the same in the Champions League.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Stephanie Frappart has already participated in the shortlist that managed the match between Portugal and Ghana and that weighed Mexico against Poland.
The young woman Stephanie Frappart has already participated in the short list of managers for the match between Portugal and Ghana and which she measured Mexico against Poland.
For her part, Díaz Medina reached the milestone of being the first woman to handle the second leg of the Mexican league final in 2019. This, just one year after she was certified as an assistant referee by the Associated Football Federation (FIFA).
However, his career, which spanned more than 12 years, began by accident.
“One day while I was working in the cafeteria at the Sports Center, the designated referee didn’t show up for the game, the league manager asked me if I wanted to referee the game and I said yes, I liked it, I was paid to do something that I really enjoyed. From then on they gave me more games every week and with the money I earned I was able to pay for the University,” Díaz Medina said in an interview with the North Central American Federation. and the Caribbean Football Association (Concacaf).
The Brazilian citizen is no stranger to the world of refereeing and in 2005 she began her long career in the field after finishing her studies.
Since 2008, Back has been playing the whistle in different competitions in her country and in 2014 she received recognition from FIFA, which allowed her to be one of the first participants listed for the men’s match of the Copa Libertadores de América in 2021.
The referees are talking
When asked if she had ever received criticism and comments from players, managers or fans for being a woman, Frappart told the BBC:
“Since I started I was getting the support of the team, clubs and players, I was welcomed in the field, so I feel like I am one more referee in the field like before”.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Karen Díaz Medina, a Mexican citizen, hopes to be an example to other girls and prove to them that with effort all dreams can be achieved.
Back, at the same time, admitted that her work was not easy and that she had to go through difficult times to win. However, she claimed to have found a recipe to deal with them.
“When I go through a difficult situation, where discrimination is shown in a hidden way, and bad jokes, I just think that what someone thinks or says about me doesn’t tell about me,” she said in a recent interview with the EFE agency.
The referee, who was born 38 years ago in the municipality of Saudades, in the state of Santa Catarina, close to the border with Argentina, ensured that in professional football discrimination against women is decreasing and decreasing regularly, but there are still many challenges to face in youth soccer.
“Discrimination exists more in the football of the unskilled,” he said, adding: “What we (female referees) have to do is to do a good job, make the right decisions on the field and everything will go together.”
For her part, Díaz Medina said she hopes to be a role model for other girls, by “showing them that dreams come true if you work hard and love what you do.”
Three other women are among the 36 referees selected by FIFA to oversee matches in Qatar.
Share this news
This Year’s Most Read News Stories
Top US investor sells 600m Safaricom shares in dividend protest
An American multinational investment management firm is selling millions of shares held in Safaricom in protest over delays in dividend repatriation amid the fall of the telco’s valuation to below Sh600 billion.Continue Reading
Tanzania’s opposition party ACT Wazalendo honours veteran politician under new policy
Unguja. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo today officially bids farewell to its former Chairman, Juma Duni Haji, also known as Babu Duni, as part of a new policy designed to honor retired senior leaders at a ceremony held at Kiembesamaki, Zanzibar.
The initiative highlights the party’s commitment to recognizing and supporting individuals who have served with dedication and integrity.
Babu Duni, who stepped down earlier this year, was succeeded by Othman Masoud, now the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The policy aims to provide ongoing respect and support to retired leaders, ensuring their continued recognition and contribution to the party’s development.
“Recognizing their significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the party, this policy ensures that retired leaders continue to be acknowledged and respected by both the party and the community,” the policy states.
To benefit from this policy, leaders must not have left or been expelled from the party. They must have served the party with honor and dedication. The national leadership committee will determine whether a leader has fulfilled these criteria.
The policy seeks to honor retired leaders, protect their dignity, acknowledge their contributions, leverage their ideas for the party’s growth, and support them to the best of the party’s ability.
In honoring these leaders, the party will provide a vehicle, the type of which will be determined by the national leadership committee. Additionally, they will receive a monthly allowance, with the amount also set by this committee.
Other benefits include health insurance. If a leader does not own a home, the party will cover their rent at a rate decided by the committee.
The leadership committee may also grant special recognition based on the leader’s contributions. Retired leaders will participate in decision-making meetings according to procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
Depending on the party’s resources at the time, the policy may also apply to retired deputy chairpersons for both the mainland and Zanzibar, the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General for both mainland and Zanzibar, and the party’s Attorney General.
Additionally, leaders, executives, or members with exceptional contributions to the party’s protection, advocacy, and defense may also benefit, as determined by the leadership committee.
Currently, those who are eligible for benefits under this policy include Juma Duni Haji (retired party Chairman) and Zitto Kabwe (retired party leader).Continue Reading
ACT-Wazalendo calls for withdrawal of mandatory travel insurance in Zanzibar
Starting October 1, all visitors to Zanzibar will be required to purchase a mandatory travel insurance policy costing $44 at the point of entryContinue Reading
