Kolkata: The FIFA U-17 World Cup will set a new record when the tournament kicks off on October 6, as it will see female assistant referees officiating in a men’s competition, for the very first time in the game’s history.
Seven female assistant referees have been appointed by the governing body, who with their male counterparts will officiate the total 52 matches of the World Cup across six different venues from October 6-28.
“FIFA has selected seven support referees, but with a twist: for the first-ever time, FIFA has selected female referees for a men’s tournament. The results and improvements seen in the joint preparations have shown the time has come for elite female referees to officiate in men’s competitions together with their male colleagues,” the top body said in a statement.
Massimo Busacca, Head of FIFA Refereeing said, “We think it’s time for elite female referees to be involved in a FIFA men’s competition. They worked together with male match officials last year and now we want to see them working together in a competition.”
The FIFA Referees Committee has also appointed 70 match referees and 21 trios of match officials from all the confederations.
Meanwhile, 16 AIFF match officials, consisting of eight match referees and eight assistant referees have been given a wonderful opportunity to train with the top referees a about 25.
The AIFF referees will be allowed to train with the FIFA Referees during the tournament.
AIFF Director Referees Goutam Kar was quoted by PTI as saying, “It’s a lifetime opportunity for the Indian match officials who are getting a massive chance to learn the nuances of officiating a match of the highest level. It’s the first of its kind of initiative by FIFA to include the host nation’s officials to boost their skills while learning from ones who are adjudged to be the best in the business.”