Salima Mukansanga, one of the three female referees who will officiate at a men’s World Cup for the first time, said they have been chosen for the tournament in Qatar not simply based on their gender, but because they deserve the chance.

Rwanda’s Mukansanga, Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan and Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappart along with three female assistant referees have been selected for the World Cup, which begins on Sunday.

“We are here because we deserve to be here. Back at our confederation, or back at home, it is another level, so this is the biggest level of football,” Mukansanga told reporters in Doha on Friday.

“So being here means we deserve to be here, it’s not a change or because we are women.”

Assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States said they feel welcome.

“We feel like we are one referee team here, no difference man or woman,” she said.

It’s a start

Mukansanga, who earlier this year became the first woman to take charge of a match at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations and last year officiated at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, believes her stint in Qatar will open doors for other aspiring female officials in Africa.

“It’s an honour and a privilege because it’s never happened before,” Mukansanga was quoted as saying BBC Sport Africa.

“It means you’re going to be the first one and going to open the door for other women, especially in Africa.

“You carry a lot on your shoulders and you need to carry it well, so others can see that the door is open and they can also go through.

“It means the opportunities are there — and it’s up to us to take them and become productive from them.”

The hurdles

Mukansanga, who has been a Fifa referee since 2012, also spoke about some of the challenges she has faced.

“We have our period — so sometimes you can’t be able to run or officiate,” she explained. “If pregnant — you can’t run. We give birth — so need time to recover, to prepare the body again for the next journey.

“Men’s speed is at a top level, so sometimes I can’t run like men, but I can do more, push more to at least be on the same pace, have proximity with the players and a good angle of vision.”

But despite the hurdles, Mukansanga has found her way to pursue her dream.

“In a field dominated by men, you need to double your work — then have the passion, because without this passion you are going to get tired and then you leave it,” she explained.

“But we don’t want to quit. We need to be one step ahead and work, succeed and fight together.”

Written with inputs from Reuters