They lead in world football: It’s time for the referees

December 1, 2022 was a special day for football, especially for refereeing. French Stephanie Frappart became the first female referee to lead in a World Cup. He did it in Germany’s victory over Costa Rica 4-2, for the third and last date of group E in Qatar 2022.

Frappart, 38 years old, led the all-female shortlist at the Al Bayt stadium along with the Brazilian Neuza Back and the Mexican Karen Díaz Medina as assistants, and completed a good performance in a match that had its overtones of history, both due to their presence and the elimination of Germany, the second consecutive one in the group stage after emerging as world champion in 2014.

After having been the fourth referee of the Mexico-Poland match, for group C, and of Portugal-Ghana, Frappart She went one step further and was chosen for a transcendental party that defined the classification of Japan and Spain.

Frappart was the first woman to referee in the French second division (2014) and then in the first category -Liga1- (2019). She also the first in the European Super Cup (August 2019), in the Champions League (December 2020) and in the French Cup final (on May 7). On December 14, she will be 39 years old.

Low profile and without social networks, The Frenchwoman said that she feels “a lot of pride and a lot of honor” for the historical event that has her as the protagonist.

The road to being in one of the most watched sporting events on the planet was not easy since in the middle he had to deal with criticism. In 2020, for example, the Portuguese coach André Villas Boas, at the time in charge of Olympique de Marseille, claimed that he did not have a “level” as a referee.

She is the second of four brothers, two of them were referees. “I was stubborn as a mule. I had a vocation as a referee since I was a child and I always lived in a world of boys,” she said some time ago.

One of his assistants, the Brazilian Neuza Back, also 38 years old and the sister of a referee, participated in the 2009 Brazilian championship (in 2020 it exceeded one hundred matches) and after five years earned the FIFA international label.

Before Qatar 2022 he was in the Club World Cupat the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and his debut in the men’s Copa Libertadores took place at the Defensa y Justicia stadium in a match against Independiente del Valle in 2021.

The Mexican Karen Díaz Medina He is also 38 years old and has a long history in football in his country. He made his professional debut in 2009 and in 2016 he joined the refereeing team of the Men’s First Division MX League. He has been a FIFA international since 2018 and gained experience in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers.

Highly respected by her male colleaguesthe three they entered history and marked a path in the most popular sport in the world.

what was achieved by Frappart becomes a great motivation for women dedicated to this trade, which for a long time was reserved for men. Many changes have had to occur for the ladies who dedicate themselves to this profession to have their opportunity, after overcoming many obstacles. Despite this, they have managed to defy what is established and managed to carve out a space on the playing field, as happened with Rosa Bonet, the first referee to direct in the Spanish League in 1979.

The President of the Referees Commission of the Bolivian Football Federation, Alejandro Mancilla, assures that everything is part of a process and that the recommendation of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is that female referees be incorporated into all levels of soccer competition.

Notes that one of the main requirements to be part of the competitions international, in addition to having a necessary presence in tournaments of different categories in the country of the referee, is to comply with the physical teststime and intensity, the same as the referees.

“Women have always had a little less intensity in these tests, but the men’s soccer regulations are for everyone. The FIFA has resolved that referees can direct while they complete their physical test, regardless of agethey have to master English and handle the VAR protocol”, indicates Mancilla, who recalls that he anticipated that the National Academy of Arbitration will soon be a reality, which will allow referees to have a certificate that endorses their profession.

“It takes two years to be a soccer referee. The Referees Commission has registered nine international and 18 national refereesof which six have already been in the professional division as assistants and four have participated as fourth referee”, he adds.

Alejandra Quisbert from Yunga is very happy with what Stephanie Frappart has achieved. At 32 years old and after 11 years as a referee, she sees herself reflected in the achievements of the Frenchwoman and now she knows that reaching a World Cup is not an impossible dream.

Alexandra He came to the world in Chicaloma, where his passion for soccer was also born.which, little by little, was transformed into an interest in arbitrating.

He began in arbitration in the tournaments of the Football Association of La Paz, at 19 years-old. She participated in regional tournaments such as the Simón Bolívar Women’s Cup, as well as the Plurinational Games.

Quisbert comments that she was encouraged to be a referee despite the fact that at first she saw that it was one of the most ungrateful professions due to intolerance.

“I felt a lot of discrimination from men, especially from the players Or from the technicians, who always told us they asked what we were doing on the pitch and why we weren’t in the kitchen”

Alexandra assures that all this, instead of discouraging her, gave her more value and helped her to form a character. “Of course it hurt, but the referees were, little by little, making ourselves respected on the field of play, as an authority. Fortunately, that machismo has been extinguished, today it is about establishing a presence and having a good character so as not to let morale drop ”, she expresses.

Today celebrates having managed to debut in the Bolivian Soccer Professional Division championshipeither Y lead the final of an international championship, the South American Sub 17, in March of this year.

For his part, Noemí Flores quit playing soccer eight years ago, after the referee Jesús Antelo Chávez invited her to join the Committee of Referees of Beniano Soccer. Today, at 24 years old, He states that he is satisfied with the decision made. and for the opportunities that have been presented, especially having been able to direct a match in the women’s Simón Bolívar Cup.

“The level of women’s refereeing has grown a lot in recent years. It all has to do with the spaces that are being given to women. It is important that they give us that trust because it is the only way to demonstrate what we are capable of and that they realize our capacity”, expressed the young referee, who is studying Physical Culture and Recreation at the Autonomous University of Beni. .

the tarijena Adriana Farfán too entered the history of national arbitration, by becoming the first woman in the country to be part of a refereeing team in the Copa Conmebol Libertadores. Farfán was the fourth judge in the match between Everton from Chile and Monagas from Venezuela, in February of this year.

After a long time, national arbitration was once again considered to take the reins of an international match And I just included the presence of a Bolivian referee in the competition.

Adriana has 30 years and has carried the FIFA credential for four years. He has experience in other international championships, such as the South American, Odesur and Pan American Games.

“I am very happy, because all these experiences allow me to continue growing within arbitration, gaining space and demonstrating that we women have been establishing a presence in international football”, says Farfán.

another tarijena who stands out in Bolivian arbitration is María Cabezaswho began doing athletics and, out of simple curiosity, entered the world of soccer, where she ended up as one of the best referees of the moment.

Now, ensures that this trade is taken as a profession and wants to go as far as possible.

“It’s one more race, you take it that way when you realize you’re advancing, as you reach a higher level you try to excel. In arbitration you have to focus on your objectivesMine is to be an international referee and direct in a World Cup”, asserts Cabezas.

According to Alejandro Mancilla, great challenges are coming for arbitration, above all, with the incorporation of more teams in the next World Cup. “As the number of participating teams grows, a greater number of referees will be needed. Everything is going to grow and we hope that the participation of women in tournaments of this level as well”, concludes the president of the national referees.

Frappart, together with the Brazilian Neuza Back and the Mexican Karen
Díaz Medina, as assistants in the crash world cup

Alejandra Quisbert was part of the Chicaloma team and then decided to be a referee.

Adriana Farfán from Tarija also entered the history of national arbitration

María Cabezas began doing athletics