World Cup's First All-Female Referee Team Draws Mixed Internet Response

FIFA shook up the sports world this week after it announced that for the first time ever, a referee trio composed of women will oversee a men's World Cup match. Some on social media have cheered on the move as a win for gender equality, but not everyone appears thrilled.

Stéphanie Frappart, Karen Diaz and Neuza Back are making history as the female refs. They'll oversee Thursday's Group E matchup between Costa Rica and Germany.

Frappart will serve as the game's head referee. She has already shattered glass ceilings in sports by becoming the first woman to ref a men's Champions League game back in 2020 and a men's World Cup qualifier this past spring, per ESPN.

But Twitter seemed divided as news of the historic referee team spread.

Many were quick to cheer the women on.

"THIS," wrote Women's Sports Foundation in a Wednesday quote-tweet, along with three clapping emojis. "#KeepLeading."

Of course, some responses were steeped in sexism.

"They will probably be better because women are excellent at pointing out what men do wrong," one person replied to ESPN.

Other social media users brought up the trio in reference to previous matches.

"Would have been sick if this was the crew vs. Iran," Jacob Morley of the Packer Report said in a quote-tweet.

The U.S. Men's National Team counted a significant victory on Tuesday in a World Cup game against Iran, winning 1-0.

Attorney and sports analyst Christina Unkel celebrated the women refs in a Tuesday tweet.

"Full women #referee trio taking the pitch for the FIRST time in Men #WorldCup2022 - they are Qualified - sport is a platform to change biases & inspire millions," she tweeted in part. "This is a beautiful game."

Another Twitter user commented on ESPN's tweet that Qatar, where the World Cup is taking place, has a poor track record in terms of women's rights.

"Remember when Qatar police sentenced a woman to 100 lashes for reporting a rape," they wrote.

A female official with the World Cup once alleged that she faced jail time and 100 lashes for notifying authorities in Qatar that an associate had sexually assaulted her. The case against her has since been dropped, according to The Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, has also spoken out about why these three refs were chosen.

"They were not selected because they are women, but as FIFA referees," Collina said before the World Cup, according to a statement on FIFA's website. "They could officiate any game."

Newsweek reached out to representatives for FIFA for further comment.

Do you have a tip on a sports story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the World Cup? Let us know via entertainment@newsweek.com.