It’s time for someone to write this once and for all, and I am ready to argue until my mouth is completely dry with anyone who thinks otherwise:
The World Cup is not a men-only event!
Soccer is indeed automatically identified with men. Every kid who barely survived the humiliation of gym class, being picked last for the mini-soccer team (or the Satanic cult, depending on the player's aggression levels and the nerdy kid's social anxiety)knows it. Even that kid, who grew up to be a man with a ball-shaped belly who hasn't played soccer in years (and honestly doesn't follow it regularly), knows that once every four years, there is a festive, sporty month reserved mainly for males.
Here are a few crucial facts about women, soccer, and relationships:
1. The Trophy Husbands For years, sociologists have pointed to a strong yet mysterious link between famous models and soccer players. The two most famous Israeli connections, pop star Noa Kirel and her husband, goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, alongside Israeli model Mishel Gerzig and her husband, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, prove that women definitely show interest in the field. If not in the game itself, then at least in the guys playing it (or, in these two cases, the guys standing at the edge of the pitch on constant standby, waiting for someone to threaten the goal so they can dive for the ball and achieve global glory for a few replay seconds).
So, fact number one: soccer interests women, not necessarily because of the rules (relax, most men can't properly explain offside either), but the players keep them glued to the screen. Who knows, maybe they are secretly dreaming that one day their own husband will look a bit more like the goalkeeper and a bit less like the ball.
2. Ladies and Ladies : The Ultimate Plot Twist!
In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of female referees officiating soccer matches. Two are particularly worth mentioning by name: Stéphanie Frappart, whose French heritage means you skip pronouncing the letter 'R', didn't just make history refereeing in France's first Ligue ; she also refereed matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Similarly, Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan refereed major matches in the previous World Cup and in the Asian Champions League.
Honestly, what could be better for a woman watching a "man's game" with her husband than seeing 21 guys forced to obey the orders of a woman blowing a whistle? She has the power to kick them off the pitch to the bench and completely deflate any macho morale. Brilliant, isn't it?
