Published: October 7, 2021 12:02 pm
Last Updated: October 7, 2021 12:03 pm
England take on Andorra
Gareth Southgate’s England side are looking to continue their brilliant World Cup qualifying campaign as they head to the continent to take on minnows Andorra on Saturday evening.
The Three Lions have taken 16 points from a possible 18 so far, the sole blemish on their record a 1-1 draw with Poland in the most recent international break.
Confirming your #ThreeLions squad for October! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nY96EqnmpL
— England (@England) September 30, 2021
This time around, there were call ups for Fikayo Tomori and Aaron Ramsdale, both of whom have impressed in the early stages of the season. Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell and James Ward-Prowse have all also since been added, with Kalvin Phillips dropping out.
After the tie with Andorra, England have a clash with Hungary at Wembley on Tuesday evening, where a win will go a long way to securing qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
England refereeing team set to make history
Whatever the result in Andorra however, the refereeing team are set to make history, with an all-female refereeing team being selected for the occasion.
The referee is experienced official Kateryna Monzul, who has overseen San Marino’s clash with Gibraltar in the Nations League as well as many high-level women’s games.
She will be supported by Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko, as the fourth officials, making a trio of Ukranians, while French official Stephanie Frappart will operate the VAR in Andorra.
For the history books, this marks the first time that an all-female team will take charge of an England match, and the first time that a senior men’s team has been refereed by a woman, both hugely progressive steps for female referees.
Hopefully, they will not have too much controversy to deal with.
