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6.13.2022

Morocco: Bouchra Karboubi, first woman to referee a men’s soccer final in the Arab world

On May 14 in Agadir, the final of the Moroccan Football Cup turned out to have a much higher stakes than determining the winner of the competition. The match was refereed by Bouchra Karboubi, a woman who has since become a symbol of progress towards greater equality between men and women in the kingdom.

A resounding whistle

Bouchra Karboubi has just written a new page in the history of Morocco and national soccer. Becoming the first woman in the kingdom, but also in the Arab world, to ensure the discipline in a men’s final of this sport, Bouchra Karboubi has more marked the spirits than did the AS FAR in winning the game against the Moghreb Atletico de Tetouan.

First welcomed by the applause of the stadium of Agadir before the kickoff of the match, Bouchra Karboubi was equally congratulated after the final. She was praised for her impartiality, the accuracy of her decisions and her unfailing authority in the face of intimidation from the players on the field.

 

An extraordinary journey, an exemplary success

The young woman has confided in us on numerous occasions about her journey full of obstacles. Bouchra has been passionate about the sport of football since she was very young. However, in Taza, a city in northeastern Morocco where she grew up, assuming her affection for a sport where men dominate could be difficult in some ways. However, Bouchra has never stopped pushing her ambitions in the world of soccer further and further away.

The renowned judge first made a name for herself after being appointed as a national referee in 2007 and then an international referee in 2016. Bouchra went on to referee the African Cup of Nations (CAN) for women in Ghana in 2018 before being accepted as the first woman to referee a first division match in the men’s professional league in Morocco. After her latest success, her next goal is to referee the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

An icon for gender equality

Imposing her authority on a field of men is an exception in this discipline, and the press has pointed this out. Since 2011, Morocco’s constitution has voted for equality between men and women. Although many challenges remain to be won in terms of the real participation of women in all spheres of the country’s life, Bouchra’s success also resonates as that of the women of the entire kingdom.

See also

Pele hails Saudi Arabia’s first official women’s game

 

Published on 13 June 2022

#Morocco