Serie A: Ferrieri Caputi to become Italian league’s first female referee

Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman to officiate a top-level Italian match last year when Cagliari played Cittadella in the Coppa Italia.

The referee of the match Maria Sole Ferrieri Caput dealing with a situation during Cittadella vs SPAL. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will become the first female official to take charge of a Serie A match when Sassuolo hosts Salernitana on Sunday, the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) said.

Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman to officiate a top-level Italian match last year when Cagliari played Cittadella in the Coppa Italia. She joined Serie A’s officiating team in July.

“This is a historic moment,” AIA president Alfredo Trentalange told a news conference on Wednesday.

Ferrieri Caputi joined the referees’ association in 2007, working in the provincial and regional leagues, before she started officiating Serie D matches in 2015.

Her next step came in 2019 when she oversaw two Women’s European Championship qualifying games and, the following year, began refereeing Serie C matches, plus one Serie B clash between Cittadella and SPAL.