Copa América to feature first female referees

Women match officials were appointed to work the Copa América for the first time on Friday.

María Victoria Penso of the United States and Edina Alves of Brazil will be referees in the tournament.

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Both will be supported by assistants Neuza Back of Brazil, Mary Blanco of Colombia, Migdalia Rodríguez of Venezuela, and Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt of the U.S.

Nicaragua’s Tatiana Guzmán was designated as a video review official.

“It is a high commitment taken by CONMEBOL since 2016, betting on the development and professionalization of more women on and off the field of play, promoting soccer with equality in different tournaments,” the South American soccer body said in a statement.

A total of 101 referees will work at the Copa América hosted by the United States from June 20.

As part of a CONMEBOL-UEFA agreement, Italian referee Maurizio Mariani and his compatriots Daniele Brindoni and Alberto Tegoni (assistants) and Marco Di Bello and Alejandro Di Paolo (VAR) will also work the South American championship.