FIFA, Maurice Revello Tournament choose all-female referees for men’s competition

FIFA (www.FIFA.com) and The Maurice Revello Tournament (International Festival Espoirs) are collaborating for a unique refereeing milestone during the 48th edition from 29 May to 12 June 2022.

For the first time at a national men’s team competition, all twelve match official trios will be exclusively women.

The trios are candidates for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 and will oversee all 26 matches.

The initiative is part of FIFA’s Road to Australia/New Zealand project to prepare referees for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Most recently, another historic first saw six female officials appointed for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

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"This very special competition will give the referees a chance to officiate at another high level event where they can showcase their skills in the hope of being selected for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup,” Kari Seitz, Head of Women's Refereeing at FIFA, reacted.

“It’s important to use every minute of this important competition to prepare referees mentally, physically and technically. This is especially important given the devastating effects of COVID and the loss of nearly two years of training and preparation together. This important new relationship with the Maurice Revello Tournament could not have come at a better time."

For three weeks, the 36 participating referees from 21 different countries will attend specific daily training sessions and video match analysis sessions as well as officiate at the matches.

Alain Revello, President of the Maurice Revello Tournament, added that “nearly fifty years after having the idea of bringing together the best young talents of the football world to the South of France, this tournament is preparing for a new milestone in its history.

“While many players who played at tournaments past like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinédine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Jean-Pierre Papin, Hristo Stoichkov, Dani Alves and David Beckham among many others have become standard bearers of this game, we very much look forward to seeing the women who will be centre stage and set to shine in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand during this 48th edition.

“Personally, I would like to thank Kari Seitz for putting her trust in us. This tournament, watched worldwide by fans and observers from the world's biggest clubs, finally offers the opportunity to put men and women on an equal footing.”