Three Women And EPL Duo Among 36 Referees Selected For FIFA World Cup In Qatar
Qatar 2022 will make history as the first men's FIFA World Cup to have female referees in charge of matches.
Three of the 36 referees that have been selected to take charge of games at the tournament are women.
They are Stephanie Frappart, 38, Yoshimi Yamashita, 36, and 33-year-old Salima Mukansanga.
Frappart is arguably the most high-profile of the trio.
She took charge of the 2019 Women's World Cup final, before refereeing the UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea later that year.
In December 2020, Frappart became the first woman to referee in the men's UEFA Champions League when she oversaw a 3-0 win for Juventus against Dynamo Kyiv.
Referee Stephanie Frappart pictured during a UEFA Champions League game between Juventus and Dynamo Kyiv in 2020
IMAGO/Insidefoto/Federico Tardito
Japanese official Yamashita has also made Champions League history, albeit in a different continent.
She was the first female referee ever to take charge of a match in Asia's AFC Champions League earlier this year.
For Mukansanga, the 2022 World Cup will be her second major men's international tournament in less than 12 months.
Mukansanga from Rwanda led an all-female officiating team at the Africa Cup of Nations in January when Zimbabwe met Guinea in the group stage.
Referee Salima Mukansanga pictured during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations match between Zimbabwe and Guinea in January 2022
IMAGO/Sebastian Frej
Three of the 69 assistant referees who have been called up are also female.
They are Brazil's Neuza Back, Mexico's Karen Diaz Medina and the USA's Kathryn Nesbitt.
Two of the 36 main match referees will come from England's Premier League in the form of Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor.
Meanwhile, Major League Soccer will be represented by 40-year-old Ismail Elfath.
Which Referees Will Take Charge Of Games At Qatar 2022 World Cup?
- Ivan Barton
- Chris Beath
- Raphael Claus
- Matthew Conger
- Ismail Elfath
- Mario Escobar
- Facundo Tello
- Alireza Faghani
- Stephanie Frappart
- Bakary Gassama
- Mustapha Ghorbal
- Victor Gomes
- Abdulrahman Al-Jassim
- Istvan Kovacs
- Ma Ning
- Danny Makkelie
- Szymon Marciniak
- Maguette N'Diaye
- Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera
- Said Martinez
- Antonio Mateu Lahoz
- Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed
- Salima Mukansanga
- Kevin Ortega
- Michael Oliver
- Daniele Orsato
- Cesar Arturo Ramos
- Fernando Rapallini
- Wilton Sampaio
- Daniel Siebert
- Janny Sikazwe
- Anthony Taylor
- Clement Turpin
- Jesus Valenzuela
- Slavko Vincic
- Yoshimi Yamashita