Tori Penso, this is the referee of Spain – England in the final of the Women’s World Cup

2023-08-19 21:22:47

Mary Victoria Penso (Stuart, Florida, 1986), better known as Tori, is already arbitration history. Today she will become the first American to direct a World Cup final. But she is not the only feat of hers. Since 1934, no referee, man or woman, had had the opportunity to whistle the semifinal and final of a World Cup. “When Colina turned it around to show my name, I melted,” she said after learning her designation.

Tori started in the world of arbitration when she was only 14 years old. He needed a job and his mother, who was at a soccer field, suggested that he become a referee. They paid him in cash and with what he earned he not only got hooked on the trade but also bought his first car. However, she was about to give up when a player’s father chased her to her car after a junior game. She did not give up and continued to fight for her dream. She studied digital marketing and worked for Coca-Cola and Red Bull before returning to refereeing. Married to Chris Penso, MLS referee, and mother of three girls who love soccer, she only thinks about her daughters proving that dreams come true.