Steinhaus-Webb spoke to FIFA staff at the Home of FIFA in Zurich
Former referee scaled the top echelons of men’s and women’s football
Refereeing trailblazer joined FIFA in October 2024 as Head of Women’s Refereeing
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb’s refereeing career boasted a host of high-profile firsts. She was the first female referee to take charge of a final at both the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, and also the first woman to officiate a men’s Bundesliga game when she took charge of Hertha Berlin’s clash with Werder Bremen in September 2017.
FIFA’s Head of Women’s Refereeing since October 2024, Steinhaus-Webb recently spoke to staff at the Home of FIFA in Zurich as part of a series of hour-long masterclasses designed to give the FIFA team access to some of the world’s foremost business and management speakers, to inspire best practice, professional growth and cultural transformation.
“Here at FIFA Refereeing, we have amazing role models, with the likes of Pierluigi Collina and Massimo Busacca, who have enormous experience of officiating matches and in management as well,” she said. “We have a technical instructor group with very experienced referees, assistant referees and video assistant referees all over the world, so we are really looking at the game in all its different aspects.”
A former police officer, Steinhaus-Webb broke down barriers to reach the top of her field, but her refereeing successes did not come easily.
“It took me 22 years to get to the pinnacle in the national men’s competition, the Bundesliga. Twenty-two years of training, preparation, commitment, lots of matches, even more learnings, ups and downs,” she told FIFA staff, highlighting “practise makes perfect.”
“I had three seasons in the Bundesliga before transitioning into management.”
Already a trailblazer, she is now focused on ensuring that other women can take similar strides in a sport that has been historically dominated by men.
“It doesn’t matter if the leaders are male or female,” concluded the 45-year-old.
“It’s about decision-making and decision-making quality. It’s not about your gender. With the visibility of more and more female referees coming through, people are getting more used to it. And it’s becoming more accepted because they are doing a fantastic job. It’s no surprise because they are preparing in the same way as their male counterparts. It’s all about the referee’s competence, not their gender.”