Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita became the first woman to referee a match in the Asian Cup finals, when she officiated against Australia and India on Saturday.
The Japanese was joined by two female assistants, her compatriots Makoto Bozono and Naomi Techirogi, in officiating the match that was held in the second group competitions of the tournament at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
The Asian Football Confederation described this development as “historic.”
Yamashita, 37, who received the FIFA refereeing badge in 2015, was the first professional female referee in Japan, and officiated matches in her country’s top division, the AFC Cup, and the AFC Champions League.
She was also among 36 referees in the 2022 Men’s World Cup finals, but she did not officiate any match. Instead, she worked as the fourth referee for six matches in the tournament, which was also held in Qatar.
Described as a “pioneer” by FIFA, Yamashita officiated matches at two editions of the Women’s World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics.
2024-01-13 13:55:31
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