New step up for Steinhaus-Webb as FIFA’s head of women’s refereeing
ZURICH: FIFA has appointed the German former police officer Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb as its new head of women’s refereeing.
A former FIFA referee, her outstanding refereeing career saw her become the first woman to take charge of a final at both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Women’s Olympic football tournament, as well as matches in the men’s Bundesliga, among other achievements.
The departing head of women’s refereeing in England is married to men’s referee boss Howard Webb,
Steinhaus-Webb qualified as a referee with the German DFB in 1995. Ten years later, she became a FIFA referee and went on to officiate in nine FIFA competitions between 2008 and 2021.
In her new role, Steinhaus-Webb will oversee and drive the further development of women’s refereeing at all levels, including across FIFA women’s competitions and educational initiatives, in cooperation with FIFA’s member associations and the confederations.
She said: “I’m thrilled to join FIFA and look forward to making a contribution to the steady growth of women’s refereeing. FIFA has shown a consistent commitment to taking refereeing to the next level as an integral part of the game, and it’s an honour for me to apply my experience and to support female referees across the world.”
FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafström added: “FIFA remains committed to promoting the growth of the women’s game, and maximising on the huge developmental opportunity it holds.
“Refereeing is of course a key part of that opportunity and bringing figures of the stature and experience of Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb will contribute significantly to this objective. I very much look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”
The chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said: “Bibiana’s outstanding experience as a trailblazer of the game, coupled with her thorough understanding of the current challenges facing female referees, will help us massively to develop the next generation of elite female match officials.”
Progress in recent years has included milestones including Stéphanie Frappart becoming the first woman to referee a FIFA World Cup™ match in 2022 and the appointment of mixed-gender refereeing teams at the Olympic tournaments in Paris.
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