𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 The Qatar World Cup is going to be full of firsts: the first time it will be played in the Middle East; the first time it will be played in November and December. Now, it may also be the first men’s World Cup tournament in which a game is refereed by a woman. Recently FIFA named three women among the 36 referees chosen to officiate at the event and three more in the group of assistants that will run the line at the monthlong tournament. The most viable candidate among the three to get a starring role is Stéphanie Frappart of France, who has broken a number of barriers in European soccer. Stéphanie Frappart is a French football referee. She has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2009, and has refereed several high-profile matches. She became the first woman to referee a major men's European match and a French Ligue 1 match, both in 2019. She was also the first woman to officiate a UEFA Champions League match in 2020. In 2021 Frappart became the first woman to take charge of men's World Cup Qualifying match. FIFA has become increasingly ingenious when it comes to officiating its multibillion-dollar tournament. The last two editions of the tournament have featured goal line technology and at the last one in Russia, FIFA successfully introduced video assistant refereeing, largely without affecting the flow of the game. #studentjournalist #sports #FIFAWORLDCUP

Official Match Ball for 2022 World Cup unveiled Adidas unveiled 2022 World Cup Official Match Ball which is titled as “Al Rihla”. The ball takes its name from the Arabic word for “the journey” and inspired by the architecture of boats and flag of host nation, Qatar. The sportswear manufacturer has unveiled its 14th ball created for the international tournament. Which the company claims to be the fastest ball "in flight" in the history of the competition. The Al Rihla is said to move quicker in the air than any of the previous World Cup balls and reportedly provides "the highest level of accuracy and reliability on the field of play". The Al Rihla was made purely from water-based inks and glues, a first for a World Cup model, and the launch of the ball marks the beginning of a global tour for Adidas to help "improve access and equity" for local football communities. One per cent of all Al Rihla sales will be donated to the Common Goal movement, with the ball officially available for purchase exclusively via adidas.com and the company's retail stores from March 30. #FIFAWorldCup2022 #studentJournalist