Currently, women's football has gained greater visibility and the presence of women in this sport is beyond discussion. The achievements have been very extensive and although there are still several things to review toward achieving the long-awaited equality, what is important is the change in mentality. 25 years ago, the same could not be said. It was unthinkable and Florencia Romano can attest it. She was a pioneer in the battle, back in the mid-'90s, when she had a confrontation with powerful Julio Grondona and planted the flag of change in Argentine football by being the first woman who refereed a men’s professional football match.
Romano was born in Tucuman 51 years ago and her adolescence began by kicking a ball. In her early youth, she participated in a local league with a false document, which said that her name was Roque. With short hair and discreet speech, it lasted for some time. When she could no longer hide it, she decided that her relationship with football would continue through refereeing and she enrolled in a course offered by the local league. She finished her studies with one of the best marks and when she wanted to start refereeing, the president of the Tucuman College of Referees told her that it was impossible. She moved to Buenos Aires and went directly to the Sports Referees Union of the Argentine Republic (SADRA). Her results again did not go unnoticed, but the impediments continued: AFA asked her for more training and made her repeat a course that she had already taken in Tucuman. Romano completed everything to the letter, but her incorporation onto the list of AFA referees did not arrive and then she said enough is enough. The dispute began. She first sent a document letter to the AFA headquarters and since she received no response, Romano went on a hunger strike in front of the Argentine federation building. "It is not sensible for a woman to referee among men", was Grondona's first response to the scandal. After the discrimination complaint filed by Romano, the former president of the AFA had to retract before the National Congress and the Human Rights Secretariat. The challenge was won by the woman from Tucuman and she received her referee licence on 4 April 1998. That day was her debut as a referee in a Primera Division match (Victoriano Arenas vs. Muniz) and it marked a milestone for Argentine women in football. She then became an international referee and was called up for the 2003 and 2006 CONMEBOL Women's Championships and the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. “Nowadays there are many more women referees and assistant referees. In this regard, the AFA is not creating now any difficulties nor has it closed any doors, because at the time I was in charge of opening them for all of them. But women's refereeing is not professionalized in Argentina, because we receive a fifth of what men referees receive. We have the same studies at the technical level, the same preparation, but we get less because we are women. In the case of those of us who are or were FIFA referees, there is a basic amount that it is paid as a FIFA referee plus the match fees. What I am saying is that this basic amount would have to be exactly the same for men and for women. Men's First Division matches are not being paid the same as Women's First Division matches. This aspect should be matched”, says Florencia. In addition to football, she carries out other activities: “I am a plastic artist and I write poetry. I have done some collective exhibitions and have published some poems. I also really like playing chess.” Two years ago, she began to study cinema at the Center for Cinematographic Research: "I'm scripting my life to make a movie".
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