She must officiate, Sunday, on the occasion of the meeting between Sassuolo and Salernitana.
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Italian referee Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will become, on Sunday October 2, the first woman in history to officiate a match in the Italian first division. The Association of Italian Referees (AIA) announced on Wednesday that it would be at the whistle of Sassuolo-Salernitana on behalf of the 8th day of the transalpine championship.
“It’s not a trivial day. I’m quite moved, rejoiced Alfredo Trentalange, the boss of the AIA during a press conference. Maria Sole will make her Serie A debut on merit. We do not grant privileges. She deserved it. This is a success for the entire arbitration industry.”
Promoted to the elite of Italian referees last July, Ferrieri Caputi has already directed 23 matches in Serie C (third division) last year, three matches in Serie B and two in the Italian Cup. A welcome experience since FIFA has decided to select her to participate in the Women’s Under-17 World Cup from October 11 to 30.
The announcement comes eight weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, where France’s Stéphanie Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita will be among the 36 main referees. While the Brazilian Neuza Back, the Mexican Karen Diaz Medina and the American Kathryn Nesbitt will officiate among the 66 assistant referees.
In France, Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 match in 2019. Since then, she has notably led the UEFA Super Cup in 2019 and the Women’s World Cup final the same year. At the men’s Euro in 2021, she was the fourth referee.