FIFA today announced the appointment of Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb as head of the Women’s Refereeing department. The former FIFA referee has had an exceptional career: the first woman to hold the whistle in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, the German has – among others – also officiated matches of the Men’s Bundesliga.
A police officer by profession, Steinhaus-Webb obtained her refereeing license from the German Football Association in 1995. She became a FIFA referee ten years later, and officiated during nine FIFA competitions between 2008 and 2021.
As head of the Women’s Refereeing department, Steinhaus-Webb will be responsible for both overseeing and enhancing the development of female referees at all levels, including in FIFA women’s competitions and in international competitions. educational initiatives, all in collaboration with FIFA member confederations and associations.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining FIFA,” Steinhaus-Webb said after her appointment. “I am delighted to be able to make my contribution and help women’s refereeing continue to grow. FIFA has been working for several years to improve refereeing in its desire to develop football in general. C “It’s an honor for me to contribute my experience and promote the growth of women’s refereeing around the world.”
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström also spoke: “FIFA remains committed to the promotion and growth of women’s football, as well as to optimizing its tremendous development opportunities. Refereeing is, Obviously, with her personality and experience, Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb will greatly help us achieve this goal. I look forward to working with her in the years to come.”
The chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said: “Bibiana has extensive refereeing experience and is extremely familiar with the difficulties faced by female referees. will help us support the new generation of women referees.”
In recent years, major advances have been made in women’s refereeing. Thus, Stéphanie Frappart became, in 2022, the first woman to referee a FIFA World Cup™ match, while mixed teams officiated during the Olympic Football Tournaments, Paris 2024.
