Vanessa Gomes will become the first woman to referee a men's professional soccer match in Portugal after being appointed as an assistant for a second division match between Estoril and Arouca, as announced by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
Gomes, 33, who started refereeing 13 years ago in women's football, She is one of the three women who passed the tests to be able to be assistants this year in the second men's division, along with Cátia Tavares and Andreia Sousa.
Two other women, Catarina Campos and Sílvia Domingos, passed the tests to referee in the Portuguese Championship, the third step of Portuguese football, and in the Revelation League, competition with U23 teams.