In the 35 main referees who will judge in the World Cup, for the first time there will be three female judges: the French Stefani Frapar, the Japanese Joshimi Jamashita and the Rwandan Salima Mukansanga.
“It is a privilege for all of us, but we deserve to be here. There is no gender in football. A decision is a decision to be made and being a woman doesn’t matter. What is important is the performance. At the same time, being part of the men’s World Cup is something very big.
People need to understand this: opening doors for women and giving them a chance is another way to make women feel ready and able to be on this tour and be successful. Women are very powerful if given a chance,” said Mukansanga.