Qatar 2022: Japan's Yamashita Praises Women's Participation in World Cup Refereeing

Tokyo, December 16 (QNA) - Women refereeing at the men's FIFA World Cup for the first time "opened up possibilities" and must be built on, Japan's trailblazer Yoshimi Yamashita said today. Yamashita was one of three women named on the list of 36 referees for the tournament in Qatar, which ends this Sunday Dec.18. Yamashita said the tournament has been a landmark moment for football and urged officials not to let it go to waste. "These are things that should be built on in the future - I want to see them being built on," added Yamashita. Yamashita became the first woman to take charge of an AFC Champions League match this year and has also officiated in the top flight of Japan's J-League. She said officiating at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 reminded her "how amazing football is". "As one of the refereeing team to be appointed to a game I felt a responsibility to make sure it was a good game," she pointed out. Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappart made history during this tournament by becoming the first woman to referee a match at a men's World Cup when she took charge of the Group E clash between Germany and Costa Rica. (QNA)