The first all-female officiating team for an England match has been named for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra on Saturday, October 9, marking a huge step forward for the role of female officials in world football.
First All-Female Officiating Team Announced
Andorra Vs England World Cup Qualifier to Make English International History
As confirmed (via Sky Sports News) that the tie between Andorra and Gareth Southgate’s England will be the first time that an England international match has been officiated by an all-female team.
The referee has been named as Kateryna Monzul with the assistants being Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko with all three coming from Ukraine.
The VAR official is France’s Stephanie Frappart with two males completing the full team who are fourth official Denys Shurman and assistant VAR Viktor Matyash.
Experience
Monzul is no stranger to officiating men’s football as she was part of the first-ever all-female officiating team as San Marino took on Gibraltar in a Nations League tie in November 2020.
She has also officiated at the women’s World Cup and European Championships and is also a referee in Ukraine’s top flight.
Frappart will be a name familiar to fans of the Champions League having officiated in the men’s competition and also been in charge of a men’s World Cup qualifier meaning the team is very much already engrained into the fabric of officiating football matches at an elite level.
Andorra v England
The all-female officiating team will oversee the match in Andorra with Gareth Southgate looking to edge England one step closer to confirming qualification for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar which will be held in the winter months due to searing temperatures in the host country.
England beat Andorra 4-0 in their match at Wembley and will be looking to pick up another three points on the road.
Main Photo
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