Teona Sturua becomes first Georgian female FIFA international category referee

Teona Sturua has become the first Georgian female referee of the FIFA international category and will judge international matches, the Georgian Football Federation announced on Friday.

Along with Sturua, two more Georgians Khatuna Maisuradze and Ketevan Gaiparashvili are also among the FIFA international list of referees, only with an assistant referee status.

Sturua, a former football player in the Kutaisi-based Georgian women's football club Martve, started her referee career as an assistant in 2018, before becoming the head referee.

During her football career, she has become Georgia’s two-time champion and two-time bronze medalist, while also participating in UEFA Women’s Champions League and playing for the country’s Under-19 women’s national team for four years.