Dispute over female referees
DFB defends itself against “pillory” of 1. FC Nürnberg
The quality of referee services in the women's Bundesliga is causing debate. The German Football Association finds this wrong and accuses 1. FC Nürnberg of judging unfairly. The club sees a “league-wide problem” with the referees.
The German Football Association (DFB) has reacted with surprise to the enflamed debate about the introduction of male referees in the women's Bundesliga. “We are convinced that a person's performance is not related to gender. Men are not automatically the better referees,” said DFB Vice President Ronny Zimmermann.
Previously, 1. FC Nürnberg had sharply criticized the performance of female referees and called for opening up to male referees. “With all understanding of the displeasure over bad decisions, it is not okay how our referees are being put under public pressure. This has nothing to do with fair play. Especially after the year of the referees, in which a central theme is the culture of respect and appreciation to the referee, these statements from Nuremberg really surprise me,” said Zimmermann.
DFB Vice President Sabine Mammitzsch reacted similarly. “It is always better to talk to each other rather than about each other. The joint exchange with the clubs has proven itself in recent years. It is very strange how our referees are publicly pilloried in this way,” said Mammitzsch . At the same time, Mammitzsch announced that it wanted to revise the structures. “For us there is no question that structural work needs to be done on the conditions and requirements for the referees. This applies to all areas of the league.” For this, a “common path” between the association and clubs is essential.
The direct reason for the Nuremberg statement was what the club believed was a “serious mistake” by the team in the club women’s 4-0 defeat at Werder Bremen last Saturday. The FCN spoke of “a cross-club, league-wide problem” that affected “all clubs”.
