RAMALLAH, West Bank — Yasmin Nayroukh, one of the few female referees in the Middle East, is now one step closer to realizing her dream of becoming an international referee.

The 29-year-old Palestinian from Hebron in the southern West Bank is the only female referee accredited to officiate all-male games in the West Bank. This young woman, known among players for her fairness and swift decision-making, is now getting ready to participate in the first round of the Asian Football Confederation referee exam slated to be held in Ramallah in May, followed by another exam round to be organized in Malaysia or Jordan.

On Oct. 20, the Palestinian Football Association nominated Nayroukh to the Asian Football Confederation 2018 international list for futsal referees. Futsal is a variant of soccer played with a smaller ball and field and five players per team.

Nayroukh told Al-Monitor that she had put in a lot of effort to become an internationally certified referee, “I have been intent to learn English, to keep abreast of all international and Asian rules and regulations and to exercise to improve my physical fitness,” she said, citing the preconditions to get a certificate.