No Female Referees in the Euro Cup Sparking Dissatisfaction, While a Woman Referee Gets a Chance in the World Cup

According to Spanish newspaper As, the 2024 Euro Cup is in full swing amidst a notable controversy: not a single female referee has been given the opportunity to officiate.

Despite the groundbreaking inclusion of six female referees in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, such as Yumi Nakamura from Japan, Stephanie Frappart from France, and Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, Europe’s top football spectacle has no female representation on the pitch. The decision has reportedly caused “deep surprise and dissatisfaction” both within and outside the refereeing community.

An unnamed UEFA official responsible for refereeing matters acknowledged that there were qualified female referees who were not called up. Meanwhile, a Spanish female referee, speaking anonymously, expressed her disappointment, pointing out that UEFA frequently promotes gender diversity in its referee training courses but fails to implement it in practice.

UEFA responded to criticism by stating that the low proportion of female referees in top European leagues, combined with the high standards required for the Euro Cup, led to strict selection criteria, resulting in many male referees also missing out. Female referees have argued, however, that some female assistant referees are capable of officiating at Euro Cup level but are often overlooked due to the tendency of head referees to work with their established teams, indirectly impacting gender diversity.

Stephanie Frappart, the first European woman to referee a men’s World Cup match, with accomplishments including officiating the Greek Cup final, Ligue 1 matches, and the UEFA Super Cup, and a four-time recipient of FIFA’s Best Female Referee award, is not only absent from the 2024 Euro Cup but will also not be part of the refereeing team for the Paris Olympics, where selection is the responsibility of FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.

Additionally, the inclusion of an Argentine refereeing team in this Euro Cup, marking a new collaboration between UEFA and CONMEBOL, further highlights the absence of female referees in the tournament.