Referee Sapir Berman Set to Return to Israeli Premier League
Israeli referee Sapir Berman is returning to the Premier League after passing fitness tests, overcoming an absence that sidelined her since the start of the season.
Israeli football referee Sapir Berman is set to return to the Premier League after successfully passing the Referees Association's fitness tests, overcoming an early-season absence.
According to sports media reports, Berman passed the retake after failing the initial examinations held in August at the Wingate Institute. That failure had kept her sidelined from top-tier matches for several weeks. The Referees Association had recently assigned her two personal fitness coaches to accelerate her recovery, successfully clearing the major hurdle for her comeback.
However, Berman's return to the pitch will be gradual. While passing the test clears her for future appointments, the Referees Association has not yet announced the exact date for her first Premier League assignment of the 2026/27 season.
Berman, who began her refereeing career in 2011, made history in 2021 as Israel's first transgender referee in the top division. Her career milestones include officiating a 2025 UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship qualifier and the Women's State Cup final between Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem and F.C. Kiryat Gat.
