IFFHS World’s Best Woman Referee 2014: Steinhaus (GER)

German Bibiana Steinhaus, winner last year and second in 2012, has been confirmed with a large majority that she is the 2014 Number 1 woman’s referee in the World. Editorial staff and experts from 60 countries from all the football continents took part in the third running of the IFFHS annual election of The World’s Best Woman Referee. The 37-year-old policewoman has a great personality and is the first German woman to whistle games in the Men’s Second Bundesliga. She is also a fourth official in Germany’s major football competition, the Bundesliga. In a close competition for the minor placings, with many challengers, Kateryna Monzul (33) from Ukraine took second place after finishing fifth last year. She was appointed to control the Women’s Champions League 2014 final between Wolfsburg and Tyresö. Monzul has had great experience in Ukraine, where she referees in the Men’s Second Division and has been in charge of more than 60 international games since 2004. Canadian Carol Anne Chenard (37), who is a microbiologist, was voted into third place in the 2014 poll. She was the referee for the final of the Women’s U20 World Cup between Germany and Nigeria, played in Canada. The Swiss Esther Staubli, italian Carina Vitulano and the USA referee Margaret Domka were just behind the place getters, but the biggest improver was Hungarian Katalin Kulcsar (30), who took 7th place after beginning her international career less than a decade ago.

IFFHS World’s Best Women Referees 2014

1. Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo) 116 p 
2. Kateryna Monzul (UKR) 58 p
3. Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) 50 p
4. Esther Staubli (SUI) 41 p
5. Carina Vitulano (ITA) 37 p
6. Margaret Domka (USA) 31 p
7. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN) 23 p
8. Sachiko Yamagishi (JPN) 19 p
9. Lucila Venegas (MEX) 16 p

10. Amy Fearn (ENG) 2 p