Israel's first transgender referee takes field as woman
by The Associated Press
Last Updated May 3, 2021 at 2:44 pm EDT
HAIFA, Israel — Israeli soccer’s first transgender soccer referee took the field Monday for the first time since coming out publicly as a woman last week.
Sapir Berman blew the whistle as head referee to kick off the Hapoel Haifa vs. Beitar Jerusalem match.
She was greeted with little fanfare by the sparse crowd at Sami Ofer Stadium. A Haifa fan held up a sign “Sapir Berman super woman.”
In pre-game warmups and during the match, it was business as usual for the players. Some chatted and laughed with her before kickoff. Beitar Jerusalem fan Omer Weiss told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster that “we have nothing personal against anyone. Everyone should live their own way.”