Heba Saadia
Heba Saadia | |
|---|---|
هبه سعدية | |
| Born | January 3, 1989 Yarmouk Camp,Damascus, Syria |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Occupation | Association football referee |
| Notable work | Officiating at the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
Heba Saadia(Arabic:هبه سعدية,romanized:Hība Saʿadiyya,alsoSaadieh) is aPalestinian[1]association football referee.
Early life
[edit]Heba Saadia was born to Palestinian parents inYarmouk Camp,aPalestinian refugeecommunity, in Damascus, Syria.[2]
She started playing football with aspirations to play for thePalestine national team,[1][3]and studied physical education fromDamascus University.[3]
Career
[edit]She became a referee after she was unable to move forward in her career as a player. Saadia considered refereeing when she saw a group of referees with no women and, after inquiring about the lack, the group suggested she join. In Syria, she was a fourth official in league matches;[3]having to flee Syria when thecivil warbroke out, she relocated first to Malaysia and then to Sweden, living inStockholm,[1][3]where she got herFIFA refereelicense. She refereed division 1 league games in Sweden and obtained her international badge in 2016.[3]
Besides the football associations of the countries she worked in, Saadia also trained with thePalestinian Football Association(PFA) andAsian Football Confederation(AFC) to build fitness, wanting to excel as a referee. The PFA and AFC gave regular reports of her training to FIFA, who responded with observations on which she built.[3]
Having officiated at women'sAFC Asian Cupsand the2020 Summer Olympics,as well as in men's international football at theMaurice Revello Tournamentand2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup,Saadia was named as an official to the2023 FIFA Women's World Cupin January 2023, becoming the first Palestinian referee of any gender to be appointed to a World Cup finals tournament.[1][3]She will serve as anassistant refereeat the tournament.[4]
References
[edit]- ^abcdMiller, Nick."The stars and storylines that could define the Women's World Cup".The Athletic.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2023.Retrieved22 July2023.
- ^"Saadia to become first Palestinian referee at FIFA Women's World Cup".www.insidethegames.biz.8 January 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2023.Retrieved22 July2023.
- ^abcdefgSaha Roy, Shilarze (13 January 2023)."Trailblazer: Palestine's Heba Saadieh is creating history and more".FIFA.Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2023.Retrieved22 July2023.
- ^"In first, Palestinian female soccer referee selected for Women's World Cup contest".Times of Israel.26 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2023.Retrieved22 July2023.