Fifa appoints Dr Rima as medical officer for Women’s U-20 World Cup
dubai — The UAE still face a wait to qualify for only their second World Cup and may have missed out in Russia, but it is still raining World Cups for Emiratis. Close on the heels of three Emiratis officiating at the World Cup in Russia, another Emirati is set to make the country proud on the world stage.
Dr Rima Mohammed Qasim Al Hosani has been selected by Fifa, the world governing body for football, as a medical officer for the Women’s Under-20 World Cup to be held in France from August 5 to 24.
The Emirati woman is the Vice President of the Sports Medicine Committee at the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) and will be tasked with doping tests on player as well as other medical matters during the World Cup. Dr Rima will oversee medical teams that provide medical services to players, officials and employees of Fifa, over the course of the tournament.
She will also be part of the team which will conduct doping tests on players as well as supervise emergency medical assistance for players and the fans, who will come to witness the World Cup. Dr Rima will have a busy time ahead of her as she will also be liasoning with local hospitals in France in the event of any injuries that may occur. She also holds the responsibility of educating the medical teams, who are travelling with the teams as well as educate volunteers, in keeping with Fifa standards.
The appointment also provides Dr Rima the opportunity to glean and record information for research and studies and identify patterns of injury and risk, when they occur. She will also oversee recovery and rehab of injuries.
This isn’t a first for Dr. Rima though. The Emirati woman was appointed as a medical officer during the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in the UAE in 2013 and the Fifa Club World Cup last year. And the journey will continue after France for Dr Rima with she being appointed as a Medical Officer for the Fifa Club World Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year as well as the AFC Asian Cup to be held on home soil early next year.
Sixteen teams will be competing in the Under-20 World Cup with matches to be played across four host cities — Saint-Malo, Vannes, Concarneau and Dinan-Lehon.
Earlier, Emiratis Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, First Assistant International Referee, Mohammed Ahmed Al Hammadi, and Second Assistant International Referee Hassan Al Mahry officiated in the justconcluded World Cup in Russia, with the all-Emirati team in-charge of the Group C fixture between eventually champions France and Peru.
Meanwhile, India’s Uvena Fernandes is among the 30 assistant referees who will officiate during the Women’s World Cup. This is her second appointment after she became the first Indian woman assistant referee to officiate in a Fifa World Cup during the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan in 2016. A squadron leader with the Indian Air Force’s air traffic control unit, Uvena officiated four matches including the final.