The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has for the first time assigned Sarah Samir to officiate at the Wadi Degla and Talaea Al-Geish under-17 match. The 26-year-old referee is a graduate of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University and comes from the Sharqiyya governorate. With the assignment, Samir has shattered another taboo and continues to fulfill her dreams. Samir was supported in her quest by her family, especially by her father and mother. They believed in their daughter, despite the fact that many people might say that it is not normal for a young woman to want to work professionally in football. Throughout, she has shown determination and continues to hone her skills. Every day, Samir travels from her village to the nearest playing field to train, as fitness is essential for a football referee. Samir began her refereeing journey in 2007. “I have adored football since I was a child. I was a football player in the Tayaran Club, but as a girl from a village there weren't many opportunities open to me. “Because I couldn't imagine my life without football I decided to start my refereeing career and passed the refereeing tests. This is where the journey began.” Samir says. Virtually all of the matches she has refereed have been between men's teams. At first, she worked as a flag referee at a match for the Gazl Al-Mahala team in the Egyptian League, just before the Port Said massacre in 2012. She continued to work as a flag referee at matches in the second and third divisions. “At that time I was about to work as a referee myself, but the league was suspended after the Port Said massacre,” she said. Controlling 22 male football players is not an easy task, especially for a young woman. Says Samir, “I am bold and have self-confidence. I am not afraid of anybody, whether the players or the coaching team members. “They are the ones who should be afraid of me, as my job is to apply the rules and regulations and provide the needed discipline during the match. I am determined to perform my duty under any circumstances.” Samir is strict with the players during matches. “I am supported by my cards,” she adds, laughing. The male players respect her and believe in her integrity, she says. Both on and off the pitch, Samir is famous for her strong personality. She does not deny that she faced some problems at the beginning of her career, when she was working as a youth referee. When the players of the Wadi Degla and Talaea Al-Geish clubs first learned that Samir would be the referee they were shocked. But during the match Samir earned their respect, leading the members of the Talaea Al-Geish team to thank her for her fair performance, even though they lost the match. “I even think that male players respect female referees more than the male ones as a result of our eastern culture,” Samir says. Samir also has an international refereeing badge. She has been selected by the referee committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to lead the referee team at the Nigeria vs. Rwanda match in the African qualifying rounds. The writer is a freelance journalist.
