While the Premier League is marking its historic debut for the first female referee, this is old news in Serie A, where Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi did it in 2022 and is now a regular.
Some English fans are welcoming the first time a woman will officiate a Premier League men’s match, while others are up in arms at the very idea of change.
Rebecca Welch has been assigned to be the referee for Fulham vs. Burnley on Saturday December 23.
Italy is well ahead of England in this respect, as Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi broke through that particular glass ceiling by officiating the Serie A match between Sassuolo and Salernitana on October 2, 2022.
The 33-year-old has now officiated six Serie A games in her career and is assigned for a seventh this weekend, Fiorentina vs. Hellas Verona at the Stadio Franchi.
There are also Tiziana Trasciatti and Francesca Di Monte who are regular Serie A assistant referees.