Envoy To UN Says 'Proud' Qatar Appointed First 3 Female Referees In World Cup History

The Qatar Ambassador to the United Nations, Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, told Sputnik that she is proud that her country appointed the first three female referees in the history of the World Cup

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2022) The Qatar Ambassador to the United Nations, Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, told Sputnik that she is proud that her country appointed the first three female referees in the history of the World Cup.

"I cannot tell you how proud I was to see this great example of having an all-female referee team during this World Cup in my home land Qatar," Al Thani said.

The ambassador said she was humbled and profoundly grateful for the opportunity to lead Qatar's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York and especially at a time when her country was hosting the World Cup in football.

Al Thani noted that she herself is a female leader in the field of diplomacy, which has been male-dominated for a long time.

The process to groom top-notch female referees for World Cup football matches started several years ago in a bid to diversify the traditionally male-dominated event.

The international governing body of association football, better known by the acronym FIFA, invited women referees to officiate at its junior and senior championships before moving on to more prominent tournaments such as the Africa Cup of Nations, the UEFA Champions League and the summer Olympics.

A total of 36 referees and 69 assistant referees were picked for the 2022 World Cup through a rigorous selection process that started in 2019.

Qatar was the first country in the Arab world to host the FIFA world cup, which took place from November 20 to December 18.