• Doumouh Al Bakkar made Lebanese football history
• The young referee has now officiated men’s games
• She aspires to take part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup

With women’s football becoming increasingly popular in the Arab world, it comes as no surprise to see more women taking up refereeing and officiating their games. One woman, by the name of Doumouh Al Bakkar, has gone a step further step, however, making history by officiating several men’s games after becoming one of the leading referees of women’s football in Lebanon. Al Bakkar started out as a player before concentrating on coaching. 2014 would be a turning point in the life of the young Lebanese woman after she attended a “Referees of Tomorrow” training course organised by her national Football Association. Enthralled from the very start, six years on she remains as passionate as ever about the profession. Asked how she went from being a player to a coach and finally a referee, Al Bakkar told FIFA.com: “I participated in the “Referees of Tomorrow” course in 2014. It was a new challenge for me in the world of football and I wanted to gain new skills. At that time, I liked the idea of taking charge of games, making sure they ran smoothly, and developing myself more in the world of football.”