Cristina Cini was the first woman assistant referee in Italian professional football, making her début in Serie B in the 2002/03 season and then, on 24 May 2003, ran the line for referee Tiziano Pieri, in her first Serie A match (Juventus-Chievo). Between 2004-12, Cini was an international referee, and was one of the officials at the Women’s World Cup in China in 2007. That same year she was an assistant referee at a UEFA Champions’ League game between Bate and Steau Bucaresti, and in 2008, was one of the officials for the women’s football tournament at the Beijng Olympics. Other major competitions in which Cini officiated were the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile, the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago, and in 2011, when she made a second appearance at the Women’s World Cup, in Germany. Cini won the Marisa Belisario Award in 2003 for her contribution to women’s sport in Italy.
Italy