Bibiana Steinhaus – end of career: whistled

Bibiana Steinhaus has always been a bit removed from the role of pioneer and symbol of change in men’s football: “It is not a big thing for me, but I have to deal with it because it is one for others.” So it was in the “New York Times” at the beginning of November 2017, which does not usually pay much attention to German football, but which at the time dedicated a great portrait to the referee. What exactly was the reason why Steinhaus himself did not like to see and see in the foreground: to be the first woman to lead matches in one of the major professional soccer leagues.

In doing so, he “never intended to emancipate himself”, as he once told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “I just do what I love” – ​​whistle football games. In the early years she tried “to go unnoticed, to become one with the group of referees”, in which there are usually almost only men. “Until I realized that I would never be successful. It took me a long time to take on this other role.” The “other role” is that of the pioneer, the figurehead. She is now finishing her career at the age of 41. Wednesday’s Super Cup was her last match.

Steinhaus has often stressed that, above all, she would like to be treated and evaluated in the same way as her male colleagues. There should be no downside, but no preferential treatment and no special indulgence or indulgence for mistakes. When the physical trainer at the DFB umpires’ training ground says “Great guys!” he yelled, Steinhaus didn’t feel left out. She was quite upset when an official opened her speech with the words “Dear Bibiana, dear colleagues,” highlighting the only woman in the group.

The de-escalation as a great fortress

In football, with its often excessive male dominance, many in the stands and in the associations have only accepted women very slowly; this is particularly true for female referees. Gertrud Regus from Hallstadt in Upper Franconia was the first woman on a Bundesliga referee team in the mid-1990s. As a linesman, however, she only performed two missions.

At Bibiana Steinhaus, on the other hand, you noticed that times were changing. At the age of 22, she was already leading games in the then third category men’s regional division, which was extraordinary.

Six years later, in September 2007, she was the first referee in Germany to whistle a men’s professional match, the second division match between Paderborn 07 and TSG Hoffenheim. The response from the media was excellent at the time and extremely positive. The DFB soon placed the police officer as the fourth official in the Bundesliga, and that is where he put his strengths to work: stopping conflicts through personality, calming emotions, de-escalation of situations.

It is no coincidence that the head referees relied on Steinhaus again and again when there were games with impulsive coaches. Most of the time he was calm, hit the right note, and was well received.

As head referee Bibiana Steinhaus did not seem to reach the German elite league. Although she was among the best in the world in women’s soccer and led the finals of the 2011 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics, her career with men stalled. In October 2014, the “Bild” newspaper even demanded: “Let Bibi whistle in the Bundesliga!” But the DFB referee committee rejected it. Its president at the time, Herbert Fandel, said that “for us it is not about men or women, but only about the performance shown over a longer period of time.” And that, obviously, was not enough for the managers to entrust Steinhaus with even more important tasks.

It was only when Fandel left that Steinhaus reached his destination

The most important evaluation basis at that time was the qualifications for the game directors, now abolished in the three main leagues, which, apart from the respective referees, were only known to the commission. Steinhaus, as it turned out, did not occupy a place at the forefront of the season for a long time. However, she finished the 2015/2016 season as the second division referee with the best points. However, four other male colleagues rose to the House of Lords instead of her.

At the time, many, including some colleagues, suspected that she was not trusted to play the Bundesliga as a woman and therefore simply did not want to promote her.

The public did not understand the decision. The tenor among the fans and the media was: The time has come for a referee in the Bundesliga and there is a suitable candidate, so why wait any longer? Steinhaus himself thought about the end of his career for the first time, but then made another attempt. Especially since there was a change in the management of the referees: Fandel, who reluctantly tolerated the contradiction, was followed by the significantly less authoritarian Lutz Michael Fröhlich. With him, the principle of performance returned, as Bundesliga referee Manuel Gräfe once said.