…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.
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Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit
Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.
While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher
Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).
“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.
Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.
The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.
“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.
She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.
“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.
Cross-border transmission
The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.
The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.
Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”
The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.
The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Transparency urged
Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.
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“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.
“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.
The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Source: allafrica.com
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