‘Delighted’ Salma writes another historic chapter  

Salma Akter Moni continues to make history as she is set to be the first Bangladeshi female referee to officiate in international matches beyond South Asia.

The 25-year-old has been invited to officiate the women's football matches of 32th SEA Games -- involving Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos -- from May 3 to May 15 in Cambodia.

"I'm delighted to have received such an opportunity," Salma told The Daily Star on the eve of her departure on Sunday.

Salma had previously hit the headlines after earning the badge of a FIFA assistant referee in 2021 and, in the same year, went on to become the first female assistant referee to officiate during a top-flight domestic fixture in the men's circuit -- between Uttar Baridhara Club and Arambagh KS in the Bangladesh Premier League.

She also works as a physical education teacher at an English medium school, and had already visited Nepal, Bhutan and Nepal to conduct matches of different age-group tournaments but was yet to go beyond South Asia to conduct a football match. She further stated, "I got an opportunity to conduct matches of the AFC U-14 Women's Festival in Tajikistan but I could not travel to Tajikistan in 2016 due to my HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) examination. This time though, I don't want to waste the chance to conduct matches beyond the SAFF region."

As a FIFA assistant referee, Salma officiated two FIFA friendly matches between Bangladesh and Malaysia in Dhaka in June last year before conducting SAFF Women's Championship games in Nepal a couple of months later.

"I don't know whether other female referees would be inspired with my achievement but I think it is a beginning for me and I want to perform at my level best, so that I can get further assignments," said Salma, who believes a better payment from the Asian Football Council (AFC) will also aid her in becoming solvent.

In February 2023, she became the first female assistant referee to enter into the AFC Elite Referees' panel. In a reply, Salma said, "Now I'm not thinking of blowing the whistle in the international match, rather I want to concentrate on the job as an AFC Elite Assistant referee.

"Actually, I don't have any plans regarding this. However, I want to do better at international level as an assistant referee," she concluded.