Readers of this column in previous years will know that I have long supported women’s football, having refereed it in the Southwest League after FA restrictions were lifted.
So, I hope you are enjoying the FIFA Women’s World Cup as much as I am. The standard of the woman referees I think has been excellent, not surprising as they all FIFA referees picked from the best around the world.
This includes England’s Rebecca Welsh, the first woman to be selected to referee an English Football League match, who this coming season has been promoted to their list of Referees, so we may even see her at one of Reading’s League One games.
Refereeing is not just about making decisions, it’s also about being in the right place, and I have been impressed by their movement and positioning, as well as their signals. These are illustrated in the Laws of the Game, and not always used to the best advantage, but they have been superb. With this, I would also include the assistant referees.
This brings me onto something else that this tournament has highlighted. Nouhaila Benzina of the Moroccan team has received much publicity as the first player to wear a Hijab at the Woman’s Word Cup. What may not have been noticed, is one of the assistant referees at the World Cup, wearing not only a hijab, but also full-length black trousers.
A few seasons ago, FIFA banned the IRAN’s woman’s team from playing in the Olympic Games, because they wore hijabs. Around the same time a 15-year-old girl referee in Canada was stopped officiating at games as she wore a hijab. It was said to be against FIFA’s policy on publicising religions and politics.
After two years this too was rectified, with the ruling that head covers may be worn, providing that they are the same colour as the shirt and not attached to the shirt or dangerous to the player and with no parts extending out from the surface.
I also think that the tournament has been great in bringing to our attention, countries who are not thought of as footballing nations. Take England’s first opponents, Haiti. A small Caribbean country sharing an island with The Dominican Republic.
It’s said to be the poorest country in the western hemisphere, so some of their teams play abroad such as in America. But we are told the country is football mad, so although their women didn’t get past the group stage, I’m sure they made their country proud.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
