# Cuban Ivett Santiago will be an referee at women's soccer world cup in India

**Date:** 08/03/2022

A Cuban was selected to join the group of referees that will work at the Under 17 women's soccer world cup in India.



FIFA Assistant Ivett Santiago, 33 years old and resident in La Habana, will have the opportunity to attend her first world cup, as a reaffirmation of her notable growth in arbitration in our region, according to the social media page of the television program Fútbolxdentro.



"In the preparation process as a candidate for the Australia/New Zealand 2023 world cup, it is common for FIFA to designate candidates to work at the under-17 or under-20 world cups," she explained to that outlet.



"Participating in the India under-17 world cup will be a great opportunity because all the referees attending the event are on the candidate list for next year's world cup. More than an individual recognition, this appointment is a boost for women's arbitration in Cuba, which has a history in our region," she added.



Santiago's name was on the officials list for the Costa Rica under-20 world cup, but due to "administrative issues" the process that guaranteed her presence at the event was not completed, according to the television program.



"I love soccer, I believe my life would not be the same if I were not linked to that sport," Santiago confessed, also recalling that her passion for soccer began in 2006, while studying at the Faculty of Law at the University of La Habana.



The young woman also mentioned that she had to wait almost three years to have a match in the national championship, which occurred in 2015. Two years later, she became an international referee for the Cuban Football Association, when FIFA approved her candidacy. "I think it was a very important leap in my career," she said.



Several users reacted with congratulations to Santiago's appointment to the referee corps for the world tournament in India. "I've seen you strive, grow, become a great professional, your appointment fills me with pride, you deserve this and much more, congratulations and blessings, good luck in that world cup, you make Cuban arbitration great," one user said.



"Many congratulations on the appointment and continue putting Cuba's name on high at least in soccer arbitration because competitively that sport is getting worse every day, we didn't qualify for any multi-sport games in this four-year period," said another.



The young woman had also been selected by FIFA to go as a referee to the women's Under 20 World Cup in Costa Rica, from August 10 to 18, however, she will not attend due to bureaucratic issues.



In an interview regarding that tournament, she assured that she likes to work in any category, although she enjoyed the men's because it required her "more physical preparation and better technical fundamentals." "But women are also difficult because many things happen in their matches and for that you have to be prepared: the way they play, how they control the ball, the system of play and other issues are quite different from the men's branch," she commented.



The 2022 FIFA Women's Under-17 World Cup will be the seventh edition of that tournament and will take place for the first time in India, and for the third time in Asia. It is scheduled between October 11 and 30, with the participation of 16 teams.