Japanese Referee, Yoshimi Yamashita, will become the first ever woman in history to supervise in the Asian Cup on 13th January’s India vs Australia game.
Yamashita will grace the AFC Asian Cup event in Qatar with five other women referees. She also officiated at the Men’s World Cup in 2022.
AFC Asian Cup will kick off today and the first match will be held between Lebanon and hosts Qatar. This will be the 18th edition of the competition.
The Japanese match official will take the whistle on Saturday in the Group B match where she will be assisted by two more Japanese referees, Makoto Bozano and Naomi Teshirogi.
During the 2021-22 Asian Champions League, the Japanese Trio made history as they became the first all-woman refereeing team. They subsequently officiated in Japan’s J-league in 2023.
Yoshimi Yamashita, 37, performed her refereeing duties with diligence and took charge in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup, which was hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Recently, Rebecca Welch became the first woman referee to take charge in a Premier League match, where Fulham faced Burnley on 23rd December.
Women are showcasing a stamp of authority in the football refereeing arena and they are increasing in numbers, stepping up their refereeing skills and decision-making abilities on the bigger stage.
