Sports

I chose myself, says first trans woman to officiate UEFA match

Published

10 months ago

September 12, 2025

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.

“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.”

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Sports

See players locked in three-way Golden Boot race at the 2026 World Cup

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The race for the World Cup Golden Boot has turned into one of the tightest in the tournament’s history.

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are all level on seven goals apiece heading into the quarter-finals, with barely a shot separating three of the greatest forwards of their generation.

Mbappe took the outright lead first, converting a penalty in France’s 1-0 Round of 16 win over Paraguay to move to seven goals.

Messi had set the pace a day earlier with a strike against Cape Verde in Argentina’s dramatic extra-time win, a goal that also extended his own record as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

Argentina’s forward, Lionel Messi celebrates after winning the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Argentina and Cape Verde at the Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 3, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Haaland was the last of the trio to arrive at seven, scoring twice in Norway’s stunning 2-1 victory over five-time champions Brazil to book his side’s place in the last eight.

Norway’s forward #09 Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 5, 2026. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)

It is the first time in World Cup history that three players have reached seven or more goals through the same stage of a tournament.

Should the deadlock persist to the final, the tiebreaker rules favour assists first, then minutes played, and Mbappe currently holds the edge on that count.

Kane sits one behind on six, having powered England’s fightback from a goal down against Mexico with a penalty in a 3-2 win that sent the Three Lions into the quarter-finals.

The England captain, who won the Golden Boot in 2018 with six goals in total, has already matched that tally with three rounds still to play, and remains the closest challenger to the leading pack.

A chasing group of players are on four goals apiece: Jude Bellingham, whose brace against Mexico proved decisive; Ousmane Dembele, whose blistering first-half hat-trick against Norway in the group stage vaulted him up the charts; and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal.

Golden Glove race just as open

While the Golden Boot battle dominates headlines, the fight for the tournament’s best goalkeeper is shaping into an equally open contest.

Mike Maignan currently heads the bookmakers’ list, having conceded only twice in France’s first five matches, with only Senegal and Norway managing to beat him.

Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, the reigning Golden Glove holder, remains a strong contender as he chases a first-ever repeat win, while Spain’s Unai Simon has barely been tested, facing just six shots on target across four matches.

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Sports

See the list of football stars playing their last World Cup

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Several senior international players have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in matches that marked, or are likely to mark, the end of their careers at the tournament.

The list includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Guillermo Ochoa and Manuel Neuer.

The tournament is still ongoing, with the quarterfinals yet to be completed.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s exit came on Monday, when Portugal were eliminated 1-0 by Spain in the round of 16 in Arlington, Texas.

Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the match in the 91st minute. Spain will play the winner of the United States’ match against Belgium in the quarterfinals.

Ronaldo had said before kick-off that this would be his last World Cup.

He made 27 appearances across six tournaments, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, the second-highest total in the competition’s history behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has 30.

Ronaldo scored 11 goals in total, tied for ninth on the all-time World Cup scoring list, and became the first player to score in six different editions of the tournament after scoring against Uzbekistan in the group stage.

Speaking after the match, Ronaldo said he was leaving with no regrets. “I’ve given my all. I’ve won three titles with Portugal,” he said, adding that Portugal’s 2016 European Championship win ranked, in his view, on the same level as a World Cup.

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez described Ronaldo’s role in the squad since his own appointment.

Martinez said he arrived to a team with doubts surrounding the captain, but that Ronaldo had since become a role model through his conduct and commitment on the pitch.

Neymar

Neymar played his last World Cup match, so far, in Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Norway.

Speaking to TV Globo afterward, he said his international career was over.

The match was played at the same New York/New Jersey stadium where Neymar made his international debut in 2010.

He scored Brazil’s goal from a penalty kick, having played through a calf injury for most of the tournament.

Neymar leaves as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 80 goals ahead of Pele’s 77.

Riyad Mahrez

Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez was eliminated in the round of 32 following a 2-0 loss to Switzerland.

Speaking directly after the match, Mahrez, 35, said it was his last game for Algeria and that it was now the turn of the next generation of players.

Mahrez leaves international football with 119 caps and 40 goals, and a starring role in Algeria’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.

Guillermo Ochoa

Guillermo Ochoa’s exit came in Mexico’s 3-2 loss to England. Ochoa, 40, is the third-oldest player at this tournament.

He kissed the goalpost and applauded fans before leaving the pitch, saying afterward that he had given his all and was proud of his experience at the World Cup.

He has said in earlier interviews that he intends to retire from the national team after the tournament, and possibly from playing altogether.

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer’s case differs from the others in one respect: he had already retired from international football before returning for this tournament.

Germany were eliminated in the round of 32, losing to Paraguay on penalties.

Neuer, 40, said afterward that he did not regret the decision to come back, adding that part of his reason for returning was to support the team’s younger players.

Players yet to be decided

A number of other veteran players remain in the tournament, and their World Cup futures are still open.

Lionel Messi, 39, has not confirmed a retirement but is widely expected to treat 2026 as his last World Cup with Argentina, who remain in contention.

Croatia’s Luka Modric, also in his 40s, has not announced a farewell either.

The 2026 World Cup is continuing, with the quarterfinal round yet to be completed.

Whether further players confirm similar exits before the tournament ends remains to be seen.

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Sports

All three World Cup co-hosts eliminated from tournament

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

United States, Mexico and Canada, joint hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, have all been eliminated from the tournament, following the USA’s 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday in Seattle.

‎The US exit completes a difficult tournament for all three co-hosts, who had each reached the knockout stage on home soil but fell short of the quarter-finals.

‎Canada were the first of the trio to bow out, losing 3-0 to Morocco in the Round of 16 on Saturday, July 4, in a tie in which Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi scored twice before a late strike from Soufiane Rahimi sealed the result.

‎Canada’s campaign was also hampered by injury concerns over star winger, Alphonso Davies.

‎Mexico followed on Sunday, suffering a 3-2 defeat to England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, in front of more than 80,000 fans.

‎Jude Bellingham scored twice in a 98-second span in the first half, and Harry Kane converted a penalty after England were reduced to 10 men, to end Mexico’s bid for a first quarter-final appearance since it last hosted the tournament in 1986.

‎Mexico coach, Javier Aguirre, is set to be replaced by his assistant, Rafael Marquez, following the exit.

‎The United States’ elimination on Monday completed the sweep.

‎Belgium ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at Lumen Field in Seattle, a result that followed a build-up dominated by controversy over a reinstated red card against US forward, Folarin Balogun, and comments from US President Donald Trump on the match.

‎The 2026 World Cup is the first to be jointly hosted by three nations, and the first held with an expanded 48-team format.

‎The tournament, which began on June 11, runs across 16 cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — and is scheduled to conclude with the final on July 19.

‎With all three co-hosts now out, the remaining quarter-final field is made up entirely of non-host nations, including Morocco, France, Norway, Spain, Belgium, England, Argentina and Egypt or Switzerland and Colombia, with the final pairings still to be completed.

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