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.”
Lionel Messi has explained why he broke down in tears after scoring Argentina’s opening goal in their 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The Argentina captain on Wednesday delivered a masterclass performance with a hat trick as defending champions defeated the North Africans in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group J opener.
Yet the enduring image of the night was not one of his three goals, but of the Inter Miami captain, visibly emotional and in tears immediately after opening the scoring.
Speaking after the match, the 38-year-old Messi explained that his tears had nothing to do with football.
“I cried after the first goal, yes… but it was something completely unrelated to football.
“I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength,” he said, according to Metro Sports.
Messir cries after first goal in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. Credit: en.thairath.co
Messi found the net in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, registering his first World Cup hat-trick and moving level with Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals.
The strike also marked his 14th World Cup goal overall and came on the occasion of his 200th appearance for Argentina and his sixth World Cup tournament.
At nearly 39 years old, Messi became the oldest player to score both a World Cup hat-trick and a brace in the competition’s history.
Argentina dominated proceedings despite Algeria enjoying periods of possession, with Messi’s clinical finishing proving decisive.
A fourth Argentine goal and another by Algeria were disallowed for offside.
Erling Haaland struck his first World Cup goals as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 on Tuesday in their first game at a major tournament in 26 years.
The Manchester City striker turned in from close range to give Norway the lead on 29 minutes in Boston, but Aymen Hussein’s header brought Iraq level.
Haaland pounced on an error at the back to put Norway ahead again before half-time and take his goals tally at international level to 57 in just 51 matches.
Leo Ostigard headed in a third for Norway moments after coming off the bench to effectively wrap up victory. Norway got a fourth deep into stoppage time through a Hussein own goal.
The win left Norway on top of Group I on goal difference, level with France on three points after Les Bleus overcame Senegal 3-1 earlier in the day. The Norwegians face the African powerhouses in their next game in New Jersey on June 22.
No team endured a longer or more perilous road to the World Cup than Iraq, who secured their place as the 48th and final qualifier in March after a 21-match campaign that stretched across 867 days.
Hussein, scorer of the decisive goal in the play-off win over Bolivia, was then held and questioned for hours by US immigration officials after arriving with the squad ahead of Iraq’s first World Cup since 1986.
Norway last played at the tournament in 1998, when coach Stale Solbakken was a member of the squad that famously beat Brazil in the group stage before exiting in the last 16. He also featured at Euro 2000.
After breezing impressively through qualifying, twice thrashing Italy, they are hoping a golden generation of players – led by Haaland and Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard – can break new ground in North America.
Solbakken predicted Haaland would make a “very big impact” at his first major finals, and the City star was quick to deliver on that promise.
Antonio Nusa’s trickery was a problem for Iraq, and his incisive pass released the overlapping David Moller Wolfe clear before Haaland stretched to steer in the low cross from the left.
Iraq, who lost all their of group games on their only previous appearance, did not let that get to them as they equalised 10 minutes later.
Amir Al-Ammari found space just inside the area and clipped in a cross, with Hussein rising brilliantly to power a header past Orjan Nyland.
But Iraq only had themselves to blame as they giftwrapped Haaland’s second of the contest.
Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan was slow to react to a softly-hit backpass, his attempted clearance smacking off Haaland’s shin and ricocheting into the net.
Iraq again responded well, with Ibrahim Bayesh denied by a desperation block, Ali Al-Hamadi dribbling an effort wide and centre-back Akam Hashim lashing a spectacular volley just over the bar.
Ostigard nodded in Odegaard’s corner on 76 minutes to seal the points for Norway, before Haaland was thwarted by Hassan when another loose pass sent him clean through and seeking his hat-trick.
Haaland nonetheless had a hand in Norway’s late fourth, his looping header back across goal deflecting off Hussein before trickling over the line.
Lionel Messi opened his record-breaking sixth World Cup with a hat-trick to become the tournament’s joint all-time top scorer on Tuesday as holders Argentina launched their bid for back-to-back titles with a dazzling 3-0 rout of Algeria.
On a magical night at Kansas City’s 69,045-capacity Arrowhead Stadium, Messi delivered an electrifying individual display to join Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup scorers charts with 16 goals.
The 38-year-old had started an unforgettable occasion — his 200th international appearance — by claiming a piece of history, becoming the first man to play in six World Cups as he led Argentina onto the field for what would become a one-sided Group J clash.
Messi, who first played in the World Cup as a teenager during the 2006 finals in Germany, then emphatically stamped his class over proceedings with a memorable hat-trick — the first of his World Cup career.
A 17th-minute curling strike took his World Cup goals tally to 14, putting him alongside German legend Gerd Muller and France superstar Kylian Mbappe in the all-time rankings.
He then moved one clear of Muller and Mbappe to join Brazilian great Ronaldo on 15 goals in the 60th minute after pouncing on a rebound from an Alexis Mac Allister shot to make it 2-0.
He joined Germany’s Klose on 16 goals in the 76th minute, sweeping in a low finish from the edge of the area before departing to deafening applause and a standing ovation from an adoring crowd four minutes later.
Argentina defeated France in an epic 2022 World Cup final in Doha, winning on penalties after a 3-3 draw that saw Les Bleus striker Mbappe score a hat-trick.
France — who could meet Argentina in the final again this year if seedings follow the form book — launched their tournament on Tuesday with a 3-1 defeat of Senegal, with Mbappe scoring twice to suggest he is more than ready to deliver another big World Cup.
“There are still people out there who will criticise him, but he is an extraordinary player,” France coach Didier Deschamps said of Mbappe. “Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment.”
Mbappe’s double against the Senegalese also saw him overtake Olivier Giroud as France’s leading goalscorer with 58 goals from 99 games.
“I am really pleased for him. He didn’t score in the warm-up friendly games, but to break the record at the World Cup gives it more impact,” Deschamps added.
Another potent scorer, Erling Haaland, marked his first World Cup finals appearance with two goals in a 4-1 romp against Iraq in France’s Group I.
The Manchester City striker pounced from close range on 29 minutes in Foxborough, but Aymen Hussein’s header brought Iraq level before Haaland capitalised on an Iraqi defensive error to put Norway ahead again before half-time. He took his international goals tally to 57 in just 51 matches.
Substitute Leo Ostigard headed in a third for Norway, and they got a fourth deep in stoppage time through a Hussein own goal to secure three points in their first appearance at a World Cup since 1998.
Haaland’s goalscoring World Cup debut left Norway coach Stale Solbakken purring with satisfaction.
