(ANSA) - Italy on Tuesday appointed its first professional woman soccer referee.
Anna De Toni, a 28-year-old gynecologist, was promoted from the amateur league to officiate at third division matches next year. So far there has only been an assistant referee in Italian professional soccer, Cristina Cini, who has even run the line at Serie A matches.
De Toni said she was "delighted with the honour" and that she hoped she would be a pioneer. The head of the Italian referees association, Tullio Lanese, said "I hope we'll be seeing lots of women refs in the near future."
