Tag : Qatar

Doha: The decision of world football body FIFA to appoint women referees for the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Doha has added another feather in the cap of the tournament to be held in Qatar. The tournament to be held in the Middle East country in November-December 2022 has already many firsts to its credit with the timing of the event being the most prominent. All football world cups until now have been played in the summers and Doha will become the first city in the world to hold the tournament in winter. Qatar is also the first Middle East country to play host to a football world cup which was awarded to the Gulf state in 2010 after a bidding process the aftermath of which grabbed world headlines. “The move to appoint women referees underlines gender equality, following the latest equal pay move of USA Football teams for both genders. But only when we are not considering similar changes as sensational can it really indicate equality,” said Lu Wenao, a sports journalist previously working for Chinese state media and now based in London. With the Gulf state hosting the tournament for the first time, all neighbours, including football fans in conservative Saudi Arabia, are looking forward to the event for which Qatar is preparing on a war footing, with future-ready stadia, advanced infrastructure and an unprecedented building spree. Rizwan Rehmat, a senior sports journalist based in Doha for more than two decades, believes it’s a seminal moment for women’s role in the game, going by the fact that it’s a first for men’s World Cup. “However, the game is developing very fast and women’s football has really picked up pace. So, the move to appoint women’s referees for the upcoming World Cup doesn’t surprise me, Rehmat added. The country of 2 ...