History or vanity? The first “female” referees in the history of the FIFA World Cup and its reflections on Twitter

In May 2022, FIFA announced that female referees, Stéphanie Frappart, Neuza Back and Karen Diaz, would officiate at the 2022 men’s football World Cup held in Qatar that year, making them the first women to do so, at the top level of the sport, which is regarded as the bastion of hegemonic masculinity. The present study examines on a global scale the appearance of Frappart, Back and Diaz at the World Cup within the context of its reflections on Twitter. The expressions produced by media organizations and users on Twitter were investigated through social network analysis and netnography. As a result of the study, it was determined that media outlets approached this event with normalizing and hegemonic/gendering statements towards Frappart, Back and Diaz, while users resorted to mocking/condescending expressions as well as those involving profanity and insults. Media outlets covering this event, which was viewed as a turning point, and users discussing this topic developed a counter-intervention with sexist and hegemonic discourses against the presence of “female” referees, which they regarded as an intervention in the legitimate sphere of hegemonic masculinity.