Who is Neuza Back?

The first ever all-female officiating crew for a men’s World Cup game will be led by French referee Stéphanie Frappart on Thursday. Frappart will officiate tomorrow’s Germany vs. Costa Rica FIFA World Cup match in Qatar. 

According to FIFA, Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico will help Frappart and be a part of the all-female refereeing crew.

FIFA made the historic selections for the 44th of the 64 games taking place in Qatar.

Who is Neuza Back?

Neuza Back is a Brazilian footballer who was born on August 11, 1984. Neuza is the daughter of Guerino Back and Carmelita Back. In 2005, while still pursuing her studies in physical education, she accepted her brother André Luiz’s request to begin judging amateur games run by the Liga Maravilhense deesportivas, a club of the Santa Catarina Football Federation, of which she later became a member.

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She made her professional football debut in 2008 by competing in the Campeonato Catarinense.  That same year, she also received another invitation for the evaluation that would determine the female staff of the Brazilian Football Confederation.

In 2008, she made the decision to invest in her profession, seeking advancement in a six-month course in Balneário Cambori, where she received the certificate for taking first place in her class in the annual referee training course presented by the Catarinense Football Federation.

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Neuza Back was also previously chosen to serve on the Tokyo Olympics jury and the FIFA World Cup 2020 jury. 

 She received a sexist remark from Botafogo idol Jairzinho in 2020 while participating in a Copa del Rey game between Botafogo and Vasco. Paulista Union football (FPF), the organisation with which the assistant is associated, issued a memorandum in defense of Back and classified it as “one of the main professionals in the activism in the country.”

She participated in the first leg of the Athletico-PR vs. Internacional Copa do Brasil final in 2019. She also took part in the Women’s Football World Cup as well, playing for the United States against England in the semifinals.

She made her debut in a men’s international match in 2020 and formed the first trio of women in an adult FIFA men’s competition in 2021 with Edina Alves.  She participated in the match between Ulsan Hyundai and Al Duhail in the quarterfinals as a reserve assistant.

She has been chosen as one of six women who will compete in the World Cup for the first time in 2022 and serve as an assistant at the Qatar World Cup.