History made as first woman referees in a major European league
Football
By
Petterson Gachugu
| Sep 11, 2017
- Police officer Steinhaus took charge of Hertha Berlin vs Werder Bremen on Sunday
- Steinhaus is the first women to take charge in the middle across Europe's top five leagues - the Bundesliga, Premier League, Ligue 1, Serie A and La Liga.
Bibiana Steinhaus made history by becoming the first woman to referee in a major European league when she took charge of Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen on Sunday.
The 38-year-old police officer's performance got the stamp of approval from Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery after the match at Olympiastadion.
"Congratulations on the first game in the Bundesliga, #Good_job," he posted on Twitter after the match.
Chapeau Bibiana #Steinhaus! Gratuliere zum 1. Spiel in der Bundesliga ???????????? #GoodJob — Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) September 10, 2017
Before the game, which past without major incident and ended 1-1 with a solitary yellow card given, Iker Casillas added to a wave of support for Steinhaus.
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Steinhaus has officiated games in the German second tier since 2007 along with the Women's World Cup and Champions League finals.
She had sat out the first two matches of the season after being named on the Bundesliga's referee panel for 2017-18 before yesterday’s debut.