Ex-referee Steinhaus-Webb says goodbye with criticism of the DFB

The former Bundesliga referee Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb said goodbye to England with criticism of the DFB. “Football can do so much more. Above all, it does not make sufficient use of its social role because it no longer depicts society,” said the 42-year-old, who has switched to the English referee association, in an interview with the SID.

She was “a child of the DFB” and “worked with wonderful people at the association,” she emphasized: “But of course there were a few hurdles during all that time that weren’t necessary, and I lacked a vision of what we strive together in the future. “

The English association has “a very specific idea”. At the DFB, however, she feels “in some areas” resistance. “But fear of change rarely creates something good,” said Steinhaus-Webb.

The former referee, who last represented the DFB as a video assistant at the Olympic final in Tokyo, criticized co-interim president Rainer Koch in particular. There have been “interventions” on her participation in the women’s initiative “Football can do more” that brought her into “a conflict”: “I found that unacceptable.”

Even before her Olympic stint in Japan, Steinhaus-Webb moved to the camp of video assistants a good year ago after finishing her active career as a referee. The seven-time referee of the year had her last game in autumn 2020 at the Supercup between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The Lower Saxon was the first woman to be promoted to the ranks of the Bundesliga referees in 2017 and later also played internationally in men’s games. By 2020, Steinhaus-Webb led a total of 23 matches in the German House of Lords and also the 2012 Olympic final for women in London and between 2009 and 2019 several matches at three World Cup and three European Championship tournaments for women.