Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi has made history in Italy as the first female referee to officiate a game involving a Serie A club, as she wielded the whistle when Cagliari played Cittadella in the Coppa Italia.
She was in charge of this evening’s Round of 32 game at the Sardegna Arena.
There have been two female referees for Serie B matches, Maria Marotta and Ferrieri Caputi, but this fixture was different because it involved a Serie A team, specifically Cagliari.
She is the fourth female referee registered for Italian football at the professional level.
The 31-year-old researcher for the Fondazione Adapt is from Livorno and currently based at the University of Bergamo.
Her first Serie B fixture was between Cittadella and SPAL played in October 2021, so this is another step towards the ‘dream’ expressed by previous AIA (Italian Referees Association) President Alfredo Trentalange of having a female referee for a Serie A match.