Video. World Cup 2022: for the first time, a match will be refereed by women

The kick-off will be whistled at 8 p.m. on Thursday 1^er December by a woman, during the scheduled match between Costa Rica and Germany. This is a first in the history of the Football World Cup, and it is the French Stéphanie Frappart who will be the central referee for this Group E match.

“If we are here, it is because we deserve it”, insists the Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga, who will assist on the touchline. She is one of three women selected by FIFA to be central referee, among the thirty-six referees selected. “It’s not a question of luck or because we are women”she points out.

The FIFA authorities do not say anything else. The Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, acknowledges that it is ” something new “ who ” draws attention “but that these women are above all “referees” like all those who officiate at the world.