Enlarge image
Ivana Martincic
Photo: Jonathan Moscrop / Sportimage / IMAGO
In 1908 the German Football Association (DFB) was selected for an official international match for the first time.
Since then, the national team's games have always been led by men.
Now equality in refereeing is progressing, for the first time on Thursday a referee will be responsible for the smooth process: Uefa assigned Ivana Martincic for the World Cup qualifier (8.45 p.m. / RTL) in Wolfsburg against Liechtenstein.
For the 36-year-old Croatian, it is also her debut in an international men's game.
Martincic has been leading FIFA games in women's football since 2014, including two test matches for the German national team against Sweden and Italy.
The use of Martincic is not a novelty in men's football.
This year, more women had premiered at international men's games.
The French Stéphanie Frappart and the Ukrainian Kateryna Monsul, for example, led games in the World Cup qualifiers at the end of March.
In the Bundesliga, Bibiana Steinhaus is so far the only woman who whistled men's games.
On Thursday in Sanja Rodjak-Karsic, another woman joined the Martincic referee team as an assistant.
Goran Pataki is also on the sidelines.
The fourth official, Igor Pajac, and video assistant Duje Strukan are also from Croatia.
krä / dpa
