The World Cup in Qatar is no longer a controversy. This Saturday, a new episode was added to the list after the small final between Croatia and Morocco.
During the official ceremony, the referees of the match were also entitled to honors and left with a medal around their necks. In the team for this match for 3rd place, the Brazilian Neuza Back. If she received like her male counterparts a medal from the hands of Gianni Infantino, she did not have the right to shake hands with the Sheikh of Qatar present alongside the President of Fifa. The referee and the sheikh simply shared a nod.
This is not the first time that Back has faced this situation. In 2021, she was part of the referee team for the final of the Club World Cup which took place in Qatar. There too, the sheikh present on the podium had not shaken his hand, nor even addressed a glance. In Qatar, this refusal of contact with a woman is not considered a lack of respect. It is simply not accepted for a man to touch a woman who is not his wife or family.
Neuza Back is one of the six women selected by Fifa to officiate in this World Cup. Only Stéphanie Frappart had the opportunity to be the main referee in a match, it was during the duel between Costa Rica and Germany in the group stage.