Uvena to officiate in U- 20 Cup
Uvena Fernandes has been selected to officiate as an assistant referee in the Fifa U- 20 women’s World Cup, to be held in France from August 5 to 24.
She had earlier become the first Indian woman assistant referee to officiate in a Fifa World Cup when she even officiated in the U- 17 women’s World Cup final between Japan and DPR Korea.
She had officiated four Fifa World Cup matches in the women’s U- 17 World Cup for which she was awarded with an AFC referees special award in 2016.
“It is like another dream coming true and I cannot believe that I will be officiating in my second Fifa World Cup in less than two years,” she told the All India Football Federation’s official website.
“I thank the AIFF for all guidance and help. It is not only a boost for me, it’s a boost for women’s football and women’s refereeing in general and it shows that Indian referees can also make it to the big stage on a regular basis,” she added.
Lauding Uvena’s appointment, AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said that the manner in which AIFF has focused on refereeing development, “it was on the cards.”
“Development of Indian referees stays on our priority list. It’s nice to see Indian referees get international recognition. She had earlier been selected to officiate in the Fifa wWomen’s U- 17 World Cup and now she will be officiating in the U- 20 World Cup. Congratulations Uvena. I wish her all the best.”
AIFF’s head of referees Goutam Kar said, “Uvena has been a trendsetter for referees in India and her selection proves that she is at par with some of the best referees in the world. This is also a promotion for India’s women’s referees how refereeing has drastically progressed in the country.
“The AIFF has been committed for overall development of Indian referees and Uvenas’s selection proves that we are on the right track,” he added.