Israeli referee Sapir Berman beamed as she recalled the moment her “dream came true” earlier this year, when she became the first transgender woman to officiate an international football match.
“I always wanted to be a woman, and I always wanted to be a football referee — and then those two came together and fused into one dream that just exploded with joy,” the 31-year-old told AFP.
“It’s an uplifting, powerful feeling — the feeling that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m choosing myself, that I’m showing the world it’s possible.
“Since I was five, I remember wanting to be a woman, wanting to be a girl. And when I started playing football, I realised that the dream of being a woman and playing football didn’t go together,” she said.
“So I decided to hide who I was and just keep playing football. I hid myself for almost 26 years.”
Berman grew up in a football-loving family, playing as a defender for around 10 years from around the age of five.
When she realised her professional ambitions were not working out, she joined the referees association and worked her way up to preside over men’s matches in the Israeli Premier League.
But all the while, Berman felt she was hiding her innermost secret and was even frustrated during the initial stage of her hormone therapy.
It was when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and Berman was plunged into lockdown that she began reflecting on the future.
“I asked myself: ‘Is this what life will look like? Is this where it’s going?’” she said.
“I decided to reveal myself.”
Berman initially feared her career in football was over, but said her brother suggested she try to make it work.
– ‘A lot of questions’ –
England’s Lucy Clark became the first transgender woman in the world to referee a match in 2018, in the third tier of English women’s football, but has never officiated internationally.
When Berman officiated the Women’s Under-17 Euro qualifier between Northern Ireland and Montenegro in Belfast in March, it was a first for European football, according to UEFA.
Berman said the journey was not always easy, despite great support and professionalism from Israel’s referees association.
“There were a lot of questions, and a lot of moments where they said: ‘We don’t know what to do.’ And I also didn’t know what to do, what it involved, what to expect, or how the process would go,” she said.
Berman said that when she began hormone therapy as part of her transition, she initially felt resentful towards her body.
“Outside the field, I felt amazing. On the field, I felt that I destroyed my career,” she said.
She failed two fitness tests and was moved down a league, but with the help of a sports psychologist and “a lot of trial and error”, she made her comeback.
Berman received her international badge earlier this year and dreams of refereeing a match in the Champions League, the European Championship or the World Cup.
– ‘Different layers’ –
Transgender participation has become a hot-button issue as different sports try to balance inclusivity with ensuring fair competition.
Earlier this year, England’s Football Association announced that transgender women would no longer be allowed to play in women’s football.
Berman said she trusted those in decision-making bodies and expected them to “find the way to integrate, to unite, to diversify”.
“Human beings are made up of so many different layers, and you come and reject us for just one reason,” she said, explaining how an athlete’s performance could also be affected by mental, financial, geographical or familial factors.
On the pitch, Berman said she has received positive reactions from both players and supporters.
“The fans continued to curse me — only now, they did it in the feminine form,” she said, adding it “was a kind of stamp of approval — that they see me exactly as I am”.
And on the street, young people have told her that her story has given them hope.
“That fills me up. It gives me so much strength to keep going and doing what I do — because at the end of the day, I chose myself.”
Moroccan prosecutors on Thursday sought jail terms of up to two years for 18 Senegalese football fans imprisoned in Rabat since last month’s AFCON final over “hooliganism”, an AFP journalist reported.
Seeking the maximum penalty for some, the prosecution told the court that the defendants had “deliberately sought to disrupt the proper conduct of the match”.
It said the group “committed acts of violence broadcast live on television”, while the defendants have denied any wrongdoing.
The Senegalese fans have been in pre-trial detention since January 18, the day of the heated AFCON final in which Morocco lost to Senegal 1-0 on home turf.
Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
Some fans were also seen throwing objects onto the field, including a chair.
The prosecution said evidence against the defendants was based on footage from surveillance cameras at the stadium, as well as medical reports documenting injuries among security forces and stadium stewards.
Material damage to the stadium was estimated at more than 4 million Moroccan dirhams ($430,000), the prosecution said.
Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
World football governing body FIFA is yet to deliver its verdict on the petition submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during last November’s 2026 World Cup African play-offs, The PUNCH reports.
Nigerians were kept on edge on Monday in anticipation of the ruling, as the intercontinental play-offs are scheduled to take place from March 26 to 31 in Mexico.
The Super Eagles missed out on automatic qualification during the qualifying series last year but advanced to the African play-offs, where they were eventually beaten by DR Congo on penalties.
Several unconfirmed reports circulated on Monday regarding the team’s fate, but NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the federation was still awaiting communication from FIFA.
“We are still waiting to hear from FIFA. We are hopeful, by the grace of God,” Gusau said.
DR Congo have been drawn to face the winner of the tie between New Caledonia and Jamaica for a chance to secure one of the two available World Cup slots.
As the play-offs approach, a verdict from FIFA is expected soon, with the NFF maintaining confidence in its case.
“We believe that we have a chance; that is why we petitioned. If we knew we didn’t have a chance, we wouldn’t have petitioned. That is our submission — it is now left to FIFA to decide,” the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, told The PUNCH.
Nigeria’s protest is based on the alleged improper switch of nationality by some DR Congo players.
According to FIFA statutes, a player may request to change the association they are eligible to represent only once. The process requires a written and substantiated application, carried out in line with domestic regulations and approved by FIFA’s Players’ Status Committee.
FIFA regulations require a player to hold a passport of the new country they wish to represent — even if they also possess another nationality. However, Congolese law does not permit dual nationality, a point believed to be central to Nigeria’s complaint.
Like the NFF, there remains a sense of hope among the players.
“We’re still waiting — hopefully we can go to the World Cup,” midfielder Alex Iwobi said recently.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, suggested that the final recourse for either Nigeria or DR Congo could be the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA delivers its decision.
“It requires a lot of things, and by the time it is finally decided, whether Nigeria wins or DR Congo wins, I believe the case might even go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Dikko said in Morocco last month.
“For us, we are waiting to see how it goes. All I know is that FIFA is still handling the petition,” he added.
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the three host countries.
Former Nigeria coach José Peseiro believes Ademola Lookman has grown to rival Victor Osimhen’s influence with the Super Eagles and insists the forward has the qualities to become a central figure at Atlético Madrid.
Although Osimhen has long been regarded as Nigeria’s leading figure, Peseiro said Lookman’s performances, particularly at the Africa Cup of Nations, have been equally decisive.
“Osimhen was the star, but Lookman has not been behind him. In fact, he has scored more goals. Now they are both key figures,” he told Marca, pointing to the winger’s hat-trick in the Europa League final for Atalanta as further evidence of his impact at club level.
Lookman has been the standout performer for the Super Eagles at back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, directly contributing to 11 goals (six goals and five assists) in 13 appearances that saw them winning a silver and bronze medal.
Peseiro, who handed Lookman consistent opportunities during his tenure, also dismissed suggestions that he is difficult to manage, describing him instead as grounded and responsive when given trust and freedom on the pitch.
“Lookman does not act like a star, he is very easy to manage, you just have to let him be free,” he said.
Peseiro said the 28-year-old’s immediate impression in Spain underlined his ability. He urged patience as the player settles but maintained that his composure and talent were already evident.
“Playing like that three days after arriving can only be explained by his quality. Now we must remain calm because he still needs to adapt, but it is already clear that he does not feel pressure. If you give him freedom and accept his boldness and creativity, Lookman has the potential to produce outstanding seasons and make an era at Atlético,” Peseiro said.
He described the transfer as a pivotal stage in Lookman’s career, adding that the move fulfils a long-held ambition to compete at the highest level in Europe while proving doubters wrong.
“For him it is a challenge and a very important step because he has achieved the objective he always had of reaching one of the best clubs in Europe and continuing to prove to England that they made a mistake with him,” he said.
Peseiro revealed that conversations in 2022 helped lay the groundwork for Lookman’s resurgence. At the time, the forward had struggled for stability across spells at Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester City.
The Portuguese coach said Lookman had spoken candidly about his disappointment after falling out of favour with England’s youth set-up despite winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017.
“He was still young, but he often told me how sad he was that after winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and progressing to the Under-21s, England stopped calling him up. He did not understand it and believed he had a future there, but he had to accept it,” Peseiro revealed.
Now approaching his peak years, Lookman has added defensive discipline and physical strength to his attacking qualities, according to his former coach. Peseiro said the demands of Italian football accelerated his development.
“He has become more mature and complete. He can shoot, pass and beat opponents one against one. He has also improved greatly defensively and physically,” he said.
“He told me he suffered more in training in Italy than in Germany or England, but through effort he progressed in an area that was necessary. He is very professional and resilient. Even if it is not obvious at first glance, he fights, presses, defends and is very strong physically.”
Peseiro believes Lookman is at his most effective operating centrally behind a striker, where he can exploit pockets of space and influence matches with goals or assists.
“On the wing he can destabilise opponents and make good diagonal runs, but his best position is behind the forward. When he finds space inside, he can shoot, dribble or assist. That is where he is most decisive,” he added.
