The 31-year-old Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi is set to create history in Italian football as she became the first female referee to join Serie A’s team of officials for the upcoming 2022/23 season.
Maria Sole already created history last season when she became the first female referee to officiate an Italian domestic match involving a top-flight Italian side. In December 2021, when then Serie A team Cagliari hosted the Serie B team Cittadella during the Round of 32 of the Coppa Italia, referee Maria created history by officiating that game on the field.
Now, Serie A has appointed Maria as the referee for the upcoming new season (2022/23), which will start on 13th August 2022. She is ready to become the first female referee to officiate an Italian first-division game.
President of the Italian Referees Association (AIA), Alfredo Trentalange has expressed his feeling about Italian football’s big move by appointing the first female referee in Serie A.
Trentalange said, “It’s a very beautiful moment and one of great satisfaction. It’s also sad to think that someone should be amazed by the presence of a woman. Obviously, it’s news that Maria Sole will be the first woman in the Serie A pool, and it’s a historical moment, but the promotion is an advancement that comes from merit and not from privilege.”
More about Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi
Maria joined the referees’ association in 2007. Initially, she worked in provincial and regional leagues before she was promoted to officiate in Serie D matches in 2015. Later, she experienced officiating two Women’s European Championship qualifying games, Serie C matches as well as only Serie B match.
Tiziana Trasciatti is the new Serie A assistant referee
Maria is one of the five referees who have been promoted to Italian top-flight football for the upcoming season. In the meantime, Tiziana Trasciatti has also been promoted as an assistant referee for the forthcoming Italian first division season.
FIFA is also promoting female referees
Female referees’ are slowly upgrading in men’s football. Recently, FIFA announced 129 match officials (referees, assistant referees and video match officials) for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where six were females.
Stephanie Frappart (France), Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) are the female referees on this list along with the female assistant referees Neuza Back (Brazil), Karen Diaz Medina (Mexico) and Kathryn Nesbitt (USA). It is the first time when a female referee will present on the field during a FIFA men’s World Cup football match.
