When football got tired of being a Toby club
Ah, the beautiful world of refereeing, that sacred territory where men sweat, shout and argue with someone who carries a whistle. But surprise! It turns out that women can also call fouls, draw cards, and endure creative insults from the sideline. Katia Itzel and Karen Díaz not only broke the mold, they pulverized it with a clean tackle.
From “dedicate yourself to ballet” to “there goes the red one”
Katia Itzel, the same one who is now one of Mexico’s strong cards for the 2026 World Cup, had to listen to that gem of advice: “better dedicate yourself to ballet”. Because, of course, what would football do with a woman on the field? Don’t they know that this sport is only for men who can argue with the referee while spitting on the grass? Fortunately, Katia decided to ignore those nos as if they were players simulating fouls.
“There have been several ‘no’s’, but the important thing is to become a little deaf to those ‘no’s”, he said with a smile that surely hid the desire to give more than one yellow card. Because, let’s be honest, who needs to hear criticism when you can whistle it offside?
Karen Díaz, or how to make history without asking permission
Meanwhile, Karen Díaz, the first Mexican assistant in a World Cup (Qatar 2022, for the clueless), was not only busy marking forwards out of place, but also prejudices. “If I do well, that confidence in my teammates will continue,” she declared, because nothing inspires more than seeing someone break the glass ceiling… although some still insist that it is concrete.
And so, between cards and decisions that “impact the future of generations”, these two women showed that refereeing is not a question of gender, but of having your pants (or shorts) on well to withstand the shower of criticism.
So the next time you see a referee on the field, remember: she’s not there for a fee, she’s there because she earned the right to whistle at even your favorite player. And that, dear friends, is a great goal for equality.
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