Japanese female referee Yoshimi Yamashita, 36, will be in action at next month's World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar. In a recent interview in Tokyo, she revealed that she is filled with the joy of realizing her dream of "refereeing" the World Cup.
The statement was made at an online press conference organized by the Japan Journalists Association. As one of the 36 head referees announced by FIFA, Ryoomi Yamashita is one of only three female referees whose names are becoming known in the soccer world.
Years of hard work have earned Yoshimi Yamashita widespread trust for female referees. She has not only officiated in the J-League and the AFC Champions League, but has also refereed at the 2019 Women's World Cup and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Talking about the difference between the women's competition and the men's competition, Yoshimi Yamashita said, "I don't really see any difference between the two. Of course, improving the speed of judging is a priority in the preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, including improving the speed of running, which will help a lot."
When talking about how to improve her running speed, she revealed that she was a former linebacker and was not very fast. After working as a referee, she began to specialize in speed training. Since becoming a FIFA registered referee in 2015, she has been training with a personal trainer for speed, and over the years, her running has improved significantly.
As the only referee from Japan, Ryoomi Yamashita said she was "nervous every day" as the World Cup drew nearer, but at the same time gained a lot of encouragement to take her mind off it.
She said that as a player, she used to think that the World Cup was out of her reach; and after she took up refereeing, she also felt that the World Cup was a dream that was hard to reach. Now she is proud to be able to enforce the World Cup. In order to realize this goal, she will do her best.
She said, "It was stressful, but the responsibility took over within me."
Ryoomi Yamashita revealed that the World Cup referees did not have the opportunity to go to the field for simulation training this time, and only conducted an online simulation. The referees will arrive in Qatar in early November for some technical and physical training. Both male and female referees must meet the same requirements.
When asked by a reporter about her favorite player and the team she would most like to enforce, she said, "None of that can be revealed."
Reflecting on her refereeing career, Ryoomi Yamashita said, "I haven't had a satisfying refereeing experience so far. The most difficult part of being a soccer referee is the lonely solo training every day and the self-reproach and remorse after mistakes."
For the video assistant referee (VAR) introduced in recent years on the field of play, she believes that VAR is a product of the development of the times, and the referee makes more accurate decisions with the help of it, which is a good auxiliary means.
However, she also said that if VAR had been available at the 1986 World Cup, there might not have been that goal Maradona scored for England with his hand. "I can't help but feel sorry when I think about it, but as a referee, I don't know if it's appropriate to say that."
She believes that the human touch is also very important as a referee. A good game requires forgetful players and spectators, and the referee should assist the game in achieving this. She said that she has not trained specifically for VAR and does not feel pressurized by it.
She has loved soccer since she was 4 years old, played on the boys' team until sixth grade, played basketball for three years in high school, and then returned to soccer when she entered college. She said, "I can't quite put my finger on what I love most about soccer, I just haven't been able to give it up. 22 people chasing a ball together can be a simple pleasure."
