Gareth Southgate says taking a female judge to the English World Cup qualifiers in Andorra is a “very important moment” | Football news

Gareth Southgate says a mere women’s team with field officials in the English World Cup qualifier against Andorra is “a very important moment for gender equality”.

Kateryna Monzul has been appointed judge Saturday’s match with Ukrainian assistant referees Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko.

The VAR is Stephanie Frappart from France, but the fourth official and assistant to the VAR are both men – Denys Shurman and Viktor Matyash.

The historic moment marks the first time a woman in England has been judged by a senior men’s match.

“It’s a very important moment for gender equality, definitely,” England manager Southgate said on Friday.

“For us, however, it is almost indifferent. The most important thing is the quality of the official, not the gender.

“We look forward to getting into the special event.”

Monzul has previously led the men’s international national team and has been part of the first women’s team when San Marino faces the League of Gibraltar in November 2020.

She also has experience in the Women’s World Championships and the European Championships and is a referee in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Frappart has served in the Men’s Champions League and was also responsible for the Men’s World Cup qualifiers, and has become one of the women’s leaders in the sport.

The appointments come in the same year as Rebecca Welch she became the first female referee to be appointed to take charge of the EFL match, Harrogate 2-0 loss to Port Vale in April.

“England can challenge the World Cup”

English is preparing for it encounter Andorra on Saturday scored 16 points out of a possible 18 in Group I, including a 4-0 victory over their weekend opponents during the last international break in September.

Southgate’s side then welcome to Wembley, Hungary on 12 October, as they expect to take new steps to reach Qatar’s 2022 World Cup.

Three Lions won this summer in the Euro 2020 final and are favorites for the tournament.

“Last month I liked that there was no dissatisfaction in the attitude of the players, there was a desire to improve and ensure that the next steps are right, to keep the standards every day and of course we have to meet first,” he said.

“It has to be done over the next six days to get six points. There is an understanding that we are close, we are in the best position in the world, the results have been consistent over a period of time, but we know we want to go a step further than summer.”

There has been a lot of talk about the Estadio Nacional de Andorra playing area, where England play on an artificial field.

Gareth Bale said it was “by far the worst (field) I’ve ever played” after Wales played there in 2014, but Southgate added: “The first thing is that many of these interviews were when Wales played here, it has been conveyed ever since it is an up-to-date surface.

“We’ve been playing on really hard grass fields where teams have kept the length of the grass for a long time and we haven’t been able to move the ball fast. The fact that we have a surface where you know the ball is moving fast is good.

“All players have grown up in academies and young players are playing on these fields. We played in Lithuania with one. We have to adapt, the game may be a little different, the risk is that you can always play on your feet observation I have seen on such surfaces.

“We have to make sure we play as much as we normally can.”

Southgate later confirmed that Kieran Trippier will become England captain against Andorra. For the first time, Atletico Madrid’s right-wing defender will jump to the side in front of fans as he has led the Three Lions for the first and only time in a friendly against closed doors against Wales in October 2020.

Southgate repeats the vaccination strain

Southgate also reiterated his belief that vaccination is the best way to get out of a coronavirus pandemic.

The English players have kept their cards close to their chests with Covid-19 vaccines after some Southgate teams refused to receive the attack.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said last week he doesn’t understand why footballers are reluctant to get vaccinated After the Premier League rrecently revealed only seven of the 20 clubs have teams where 50 percent or more of the players have received both doses.

Southgate has supported the UK government’s vaccination program and participated in a promotional video, and reiterated its position on Friday.

He said: “Everyone knows where I am, the only way to move out of a pandemic was a vaccination program. It was necessary.

“There are many individual circumstances around me, I understand that people can be anxious. When you’re in a camp over the age of 50, it’s less thoughtful, the odds are simpler, it’s a much simpler decision.

– I believe that it is right, but I understand that there are other issues where everyone would be in line and that we would all have a clear vision as a team.

“This is a little more nuanced. Many people have had the virus, so maybe they feel the antibodies are high, people may have individual diseases, some people may have religious reasons.

“It’s a complex area that the route from a pandemic is a vaccination program. I haven’t heard anyone offer an alternative yet.”

How to follow the English World Cup qualifiers

Follow Andorra against England on Saturday, October 9 (starting at 7:45 p.m.) via our live blog and watch free highlights of the matches on the Sky Sports website and app as well as on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 11pm.

England will then face Hungary on Tuesday, October 12 (starting at 7:45 p.m.), and free match highlights will also be available from 11 p.m.