Sydney, July 18, (dpa/GNA) – FIFA’s referee committee chairman, Pierluigi Collina, has called on all teams to show respect and fairness for each other at the women’s World Cup, which starts on Thursday.
Collina told reporters on Tuesday there had been meetings with the 32 participating teams, when asked about last week’s incident in which Ireland abandoned a tune-up game against Colombia, claiming the South Americans had played overly physical.
“We want all of us to speak the same language. They know that the players on the pitch can not play in such a way that they endanger the health of their opponents. We want to protect the health of the players,” Collina said.
The World Cup takes place July 20-August 24 in Australia and New Zealand.
FIFA on Tuesday appointed Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita referee for the first game, between New Zealand and Norway, and Edina Alvez of Brazil will officiate Thursday’s other game between Australia and Ireland.
The women’s World Cup will be the first major tournament, where referees will explain VAR decisions in which they use a TV monitor live to the spectators in the stadium and the TV audience, as part of a test that started at the men’s Club World Cup.
Collina said this will bring “more transparency” and “more understanding” of the decisions around video reviews.
GNA