Yoshimi Yamashita is set to become one of the first female referees to officiate a FIFA World Cup match this winter. She will be joined by France’s Stephanie Frappar and Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda as the other two female referees in the tournament.
We will have three female match officials out of a team of 36 selected by FIFA, and a further three assistant referees have been selected in the total team of 69 officials. Yamashita has admitted that there will be a lot of pressure on her in Qatar as she makes history in football.
Yoshimi Yamashita acknowledges the challenge ahead of the 2022 World Cup
“One of the big goals as a referee is to bring out the attractiveness of soccer. So if I need to communicate with the players, I will do that. If I need to show a card, I will show a card. Rather than control, I’m thinking about what to do towards the big goal of bringing out the appeal of soccer,” she said.
Yoshimi Yamashita also commented on the fast-paced nature of the sport, and said, “Of course, I think the pressure is huge and I think I have a lot of responsibility. But I am really happy to take this duty and pressure, so I try to take it positively and I try to be happy.”
“It’s the speed, but not just the players’ speed. Not the ball speed. It’s just the game speed. It means for me I have to make quicker decisions — more speed,” she concluded.
