FIFA name referees and assistants for second round of group matches
Total of 58 female match officials are taking charge of games in Colombia
Football Video Support (VS) is being trialled at the tournament
Match officials have been confirmed for the second round of group games at the FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup 2024™. On 3 September, Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi of Italy will take charge of the Group A match between hosts Colombia and debutants Cameroon in Bogotá, assisted by compatriot Tiziana Trasciatti and Portugal’s Vanessa Gomes with Susana Corella of Ecuador as the fourth official. Earlier this year, Ferrieri Caputi and Trasciatti were part of the first all-female refereeing time to take charge of an Italian Serie A match when they officiated the meeting of FC Internazionale Milano v Torino FC in April. The Ecuadorean trio of referee Marcelly Zambrano and assistants Viviana Segura and Stefanía Paguay will officiate the Mexico v Australia match in the same group, also supported by Corella.
In Group B, Hyeonjeong Oh (Korea Republic), who officiated at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, will referee the match between France and Brazil, supported by compatriot Kyoungmin Kim and Supawan Hinthong of Thailand with Mexico’s Lizzet García as fourth official. Shahenda Saad (Egypt) will be supported by Soukaina Hamdi (Morocco) and Asma Feriel Ouahab (Algeria), with García as fourth official, for the match between debutants Fiji and Canada in the same group.
The Guatemalan trio of referee Astrid Gramajo and assistants Iris Vail and Sherly Socop will officiate the match between Germany and Nigeria in Group D on 4 September. Trinidadian trio Crystal Sobers (referee), Carissa Douglas-Jacob and Melissa Nicholas (assistants) will take charge of Korea Republic v Venezuela in the same group and Vincentia Amedome of Togo will be the fourth official for both games.
In Group C, China PR's Fangyu Dong will referee the match between title-holders Spain and Paraguay, assisted by compatriots Lijun Xie and Mengxiao Bao, while Colombia trio Maria Victoria Daza (referee), Mayra Sánchez and Eliana Ortiz (assistants) will take charge of Morocco's match against three-time champions USA. Australia’s Casey Reibelt will be the fourth official for both matches.
For the matches on 5 September, the Mexican trio of referee Karen Hernández and assistants Jéssica Morales and Elva Gutiérrez will take charge of the match between Japan and Ghana in Group E. Natacha Konan (Côte D'Ivoire) will referee Austria v New Zealand, assisted by Carine Fomo (Cameroon) and Fidès Bangurambona (Burundi), in the same group. Lizzet García (Mexico) will be fourth official for both games.
In Group F, the Chilean trio of Dione Rissios (referee), Marcia Castillo and Leslie Vásquez (assistants) will officiate the match between Korea DPR and Costa Rica. Veronika Bernatskaia of Kyrgyz Republic will referee the Netherlands v Argentina match in the same group, supported by compatriot Ramina Tsoi and Nuannid Donjangreed (Thailand). Casey Reibelt (Australia) will be the fourth official for both games.
A total of 58 women match officials, including 18 referees, 36 assistant referees and four support referees, will take charge of the matches during the competition. History is also being made in Colombia with the trial of Football Video Support (VS), a simplified alternative to video assistant referees (VAR), as FIFA continues to drive the use of technology to help referees.