Israeli referee Sapir Berman says she is living her dream after becoming the first transgender woman to officiate an international football match earlier this year.
“I always wanted to be a woman, and I always wanted to be a football referee and then those two came together and fused into one dream that just exploded with joy,” the 31-year-old told AFP.
Berman, who presided over the Women’s Under-17 Euro qualifier between Northern Ireland and Montenegro in March, described the historic moment as “uplifting and powerful”, adding: “It’s the feeling that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m choosing myself, that I’m showing the world it’s possible.”
A lifelong football fan, Berman played as a defender for a decade before moving into refereeing in Israel’s top flight. But for more than 25 years she hid her identity. “Since I was five, I remember wanting to be a girl,” she said. “I decided to hide who I was and just keep playing football.”
Her turning point came during the Covid-19 lockdown, when she decided to transition publicly despite fears her career might end. With the encouragement of her brother, she pressed on.
The road was far from smooth. Hormone therapy initially left her frustrated on the pitch. She failed two fitness tests and was relegated to a lower division before working her way back with the support of a sports psychologist. Earlier this year she earned her international badge, marking a new chapter in her career.
England’s Lucy Clark became the world’s first transgender referee in 2018, but Berman’s international appointment marked a first for European football, according to UEFA.
While acknowledging that questions remain around transgender participation in sport, Berman said she trusted governing bodies to “find the way to integrate, to unite, to diversify”.
“Human beings are made up of so many different layers, and you come and reject us for just one reason,” she said.
On the pitch, reactions have largely been positive. “The fans continued to curse me only now, they did it in the feminine form,” she joked. “It was a kind of stamp of approval that they see me exactly as I am.”
Off the field, she says her story has inspired younger people. “That fills me up. It gives me so much strength to keep going and doing what I do because at the end of the day, I chose myself.”
Berman now dreams of officiating in the Champions League, the European Championship, or even the World Cup.
