No Beer, No Weed, No Love...No Problem: But Female Refs At The World Cup? Despite Qatar's Strict Control Over Women

France's Stephanie Frappart made history on Thursday when she became the first woman to take charge of a World Cup finals game during Costa Rica's match against Germany. The game itself made history: all three refs were women.

Frappart, a football enthusiast since childhood led the first all-female refereeing team in a World Cup game at the Al Bayt Stadium along with assistants Neuza Back from Brazil and Mexico's Karen Diaz.

History made! For the first time, a men's World Cup match was officiated by an all-female crew

Stéphanie Frappart, Karen Diaz, and Neuza Back formed the all-female refereeing trio officiating Costa Rica vs. Germany in their Group E match at the World Cup https://t.co/Diblp5uWvA pic.twitter.com/KKy57aJNA4

— CNN (@CNN) December 1, 2022

A World Cup Fraught With Issues

Notwithstanding the awesome six female match refs officiating at this year's  World Cup, the games have been widely criticized starting with Qatar's abysmal human rights record, to FIFA's corruption and its pandering to the Muslim country's anti-LGBTQ laws and a surprise ban on beers sales moments before kick-off.   

There is no doubt an underurrent of disapproval and tension with this historic decision which is attempting to force gender equality in a coutry like Qatar where women’s rights are severely restricted.

According to Amnesty International, women remain tied to a male guardian,  usually their father, brother, grandfather, uncle or husband, and require their permission for important decisions such as marrying, accessing reproductive healthcare and working in many government jobs.

Cannabis Advocates Are Also In Qatar

If you paid attention or had a good view on your TV, you may have seen a flag of the Argentine Cannabis Confederation waving during the soccer games of the Argentine National Team, reported El Planteo. Leandro Ayala, president of the Argentine Cannabis Confederation told El Planteo that it was not easy to get the huge flag into Qatar and then positioning it in the stadium, but out on the streets they felt more than welcome.

"I run into people on the street and they say to me 'are you from the Cannabis Confederation? How proud, I felt represented," Ayala said. "And they send me the photos of the people who were in the stadium. So cool.”

Photo: Road to 2022 Twitter page