Esther Staubli ends women referees’ wait, gives hope
NEW DELHI: Esther Staubli did what most referees do during the Japan-New Caledonia FIFA U-17 World Cup match on Saturday. She blew her whistle in case of a foul, kept a watchful eye over players and made sure impartiality reigns on field. Yet, in those ordinary looking actions, the Swiss lady achieved something extraordinary.
Staubli, in course of officiating the Group E match which ended in a draw, became the first female referee in 16 years at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The last time a woman officiated a FIFA U-17 match was South Korean ImEun Ju at the 2001 edition.
The 38-year-old teacher in an agricultural school in Switzerland, Staubli, had earlier officiated in Women’s World Cup and Olympics matches, but officiating in a men’s match was a first for her.
After the match, Esther Staub li was nonchalant in saying that she did not feel any emotions during the match. “It was a match like any other one. Later on maybe there will be more emotions, or I will realise it was something special, but before I really tried to prepare like it was a normal match and do my best ,” she said. She also made it clear that when it comes to referring, it’s doesn’t really matter if it’s a male or female.
“It was nice that they liked me as a referee, and that they just looked at me like a normal referee. I think there is not a big difference in whether it was a male or female referee, it is the performance that counts,” she said.
Dominique Wac a lie, New Caledonia coach, appreciated her efforts and said she showed the world that there was no difference between a male and a female referee.
“(Staubli) did a great job and we have nothing to criticise. I think it is good for the football in general. She helped the teams to play well. The players respected her, so there was no difference to a man. I hope this is not the last time we see this,” Wacalie said.
Apart from Staub li, there were six other women referees at the U-17 World Cup who worked as fourth officials. They came from different confederations: Ri H yang Ok( North Korea ), Gladys Lengwe (Zambia), Carol Anne Chenard (Canada), Claudia Umpierrez (Uruguay), AnnaMarieKeighley(NewZealand), Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine).