Female referee who officiated Chelsea vs Liverpool reveals she’s been told to tone down her ‘attention-attracting’ looks after footballers made advances
A top female referee has criticized the sport’s sexist environment and claimed she was once told to tone down her appearance because it was “attracting too much attention”.
Manuela Nicolosi, 45, has officiated more than 200 professional matches in men’s and women’s football throughout her career and was even named one of Fortune Italia’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
The player, who has an impressive CV and officiated at both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, became the first Italian to referee a Women’s World Cup final in 2019 and assisted in Liverpool’s Super Cup victory over Chelsea the same year.
But his rise to the top has been nothing but smooth sailing. According to Nicolosi, her appearance poses a major obstacle in the ‘male-dominated world’ of football.
asked in an interview Quotidiano Sportivo Asked last year if his appearance gave him an advantage as an official, he said: ‘No, on the contrary. All my superiors told me: You should be less visible, you attract too much attention.
One year in France I didn’t get promoted from Serie C to Serie B because I was too “visible”. I was on the verge of giving up. Technical errors or failed athletic tests are one thing. But it is very important that they stop me by saying “you are a showy person”.
A female referee says she was once told to tone down her appearance because it ‘drew too much attention’
Manuela Nicolosi talked about the difficulties she faced in the sexist environment of football
The player, who has an impressive CV, became the first Italian to referee a Women’s World Cup final and assisted Liverpool’s Super Cup win over Chelsea in 2019 (second from right)
‘I left Italy when I was 20 because I realized they didn’t want female referees. ‘They make you get to a certain level, the regional level, and then they put a spoke in your wheels from every direction.’
Nicolosi continued by touching on a sad incident that haunts him to this day.
“I was refereeing for Lazio in the Eccellenza League and at the end of the match I holed up in the dressing room,” he added. ‘The coaches and managers of a team were shouting at me, ‘We’re going to kill you, get out.’ I called the police who took me out. “I remember it as if it were yesterday.”
While acknowledging violence and harassment towards referees is an issue for both male and female officials, Nicolosi explained that he also had to address the issue of players advancing on him.
The referee responded to the question of whether he had been harassed before: ‘Yes, but I would prefer not to talk about it. “I never gave up, which is why it took me so long to build a career.”
‘It happened (the players progressed) but I never gave up. I’m not the type who dreams of getting engaged to a football player.
‘Whether I was facing (Kylian) Mbappe or (Mohamed) Salah on the pitch, it was the same for me.’
Nicolosi talked about the Real Madrid and Liverpool forwards in general terms to show that he would react the same way to any player regardless of star power; He didn’t imply that either of them were making advances towards him.
Nicolosi reveals players have made progress towards him throughout his career
Nicolosi recently took on a new role as official of the Kings League, a seven-man tournament first launched in 2022 by former Barcelona star Gerard Pique.
The Italian-French referee took a photo with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Instagram
The Italian-French referee, who regularly posts updates to fans on Instagram, recently took up a new role as an official in the Kings League, a seven-man tournament first established in 2022 by former Barcelona star Gerard Pique.
Nicolosi, who promoted the tournament on social media, said on Monday: ‘New rules, new presidents but always the same commitment and excitement to be part of this amazing event as the only female referee.’
