Five minor changes on women’s international list

The new women’s uefa referee list provides only five minor changes. The elite and first group keep the same.

The only difference with the list of earlier this year is the promotion of five referees from the Third to the Second Group. Their names are: Severine Zinch from France, Marte Soro from Norway, Monica Mularczyk from Poland, Simona Ghisletta from Switzerland and Pernilla Larsson from Sweden.

Women’s Elite Group

No changes in this group compared to first list of 2011.

Dagmar Damkova on Czech television.

1 AUT Schett Tanja 09.07.1974
2 CZE Damkova Dagmar 29.12.1974
3 ENG Ihringova Alexandra 29.01.1975
4 FIN Heikkinen (Savolainen) Kirsi 26.09.1978
5 GER Baitinger (Beck) Christine 02.03.1974
6 GER Steinhaus Bibiana 24.03.1979
7 GRE Mitsi Thalia 03.03.1980
8 HUN Gaál Gyöngyi Krisztina 29.06.1975
9 ITA Spinelli Silvia Tea 29.10.1970
10 NOR Pedersen Christina Westrum 09.04.1981
11 ROU Albon Teodora 02.12.1977
12 ROU Babadac-Ionescu Floarea Cristina 09.12.1972
13 ROU Dorcioman Cristina 07.08.1974
14 RUS Avdonchenko Natalia 05.07.1967
15 SUI Staubli Esther 03.10.1979
16 SWE Palmqvist Jenny 02.11.1969
17 UKR Monzul Kateryna 05.07.1981

Women’s First Group

No changes in this group compared to first list of 2011.

1 CZE Adamkova Jana 27.01.1978
2 ESP Quintero Siles Paloma 28.09.1971
3 GER Kunick Anja 22.01.1975
4 HUN Kulcsar Katalin 07.12.1984
5 ITA Vitulano Carina Susanna 22.07.1975
6 KAZ Medvedeva Yuliya 19.07.1972
7 LTU Kance (Tvarijonaite) Ausra 13.01.1975
8 MLT Azzopardi Farrugia Esther 12.12.1981
9 POL Radzik-Johan Karolina 24.09.1980
10 POR Braz Bastos Sandra 01.03.1978
11 SRB Kuzmanovic Gordana 08.06.1973
12 SVK Chuda Petra 22.05.1981

Women’s Second Group

Five referees got promoted to the Second Group: Severine Zinch from France, Marte Soro from Norway, Monica Mularczyk from Poland, Simona Ghisletta from Switzerland and Pernilla Larsson from Sweden.

1 ARM Grigoryan Knarik 15.05.1978
2 BEL De Boeck Carla 03.07.1966
3 BEL Martens Leen 27.02.1980
4 BUL Sinabova Aneliya 15.04.1972
5 BUL Zheleva-Terzieva Donka 02.09.1972
6 CRO Damjanovic Marija Margareta 29.10.1971
7 CRO Gurdon Basimamovic Mihaela 16.09.1971
8 CYP Karagiorgi Sofia 20.01.1981
9 DEN Norman Betina 30.11.1973
10 ENG Fearn (Rayner) Amy 20.11.1977
11 ESP Martinez Martinez Elia Maria 25.10.1979
12 FIN Lehtovaara Lina 23.06.1981
13 FRA Bonnin Sabine 02.08.1972
14 FRA Guillemin Florence 04.12.1980
15 FRA Zinck Severine 19.03.1979 *
16 GER Hussein Riem 26.07.1980
17 IRL Daly Rhona 05.02.1979
18 ISR Asulin Lilach 13.01.1972
19 LUX Zeien Laurence 11.07.1980
20 MDA Tanschi Olga 09.01.1975
21 NED De Jong Sjoukje 13.07.1972
22 NOR Østervold Ann-Helen 14.08.1967
23 NOR Soro Marte 29.04.1980 *
24 POL Mularczyk Monika 28.06.1980 *
25 RUS Mamayeva Marina 31.03.1968
26 RUS Pustovoitova Anastasia 10.02.1981
27 SCO Pirie Morag 27.06.1975
28 SUI Ghisletta Simona 11.06.1976 *
29 SVK Kovacova Zuzana 26.04.1979
30 SWE Larsson Pernilla 18.09.1976 *
31 TUR Gökcek Dilan Deniz 04.11.1976
32 TUR Tosun Ayer Hilal Tuba 10.09.1970
33 UKR Aleksakhina Natalia 23.05.1974

Women’s Third Group

No new international referees on the list. Five referees promoted from this group to the second group.

1 ARM Petrosyan Ruzanna 02.05.1976
2 ARM Stepanyan Nelli 27.09.1975
3 AUT Mitterlechner Silke 19.08.1977
4 AZE Kahrij (Muradova) Venera 22.01.1970
5 BEL Sluyts Sharon 11.05.1982
6 BIH Vlaic Ivana 15.11.1980
7 BLR Turovskaya Irina 01.08.1982
8 BUL Georgieva Kamena 18.08.1974
9 BUL Milkova Dimitrina 26.09.1984
10 CRO Budimir (Miladin) Vesna 07.02.1983
11 CZE Zadinova Olga 16.04.1985
12 ENG Fulcher-Ward Helen 01.05.1979
13 DEN Svendsen Marianne 12.09.1970
14 ESP Hernandez Hernandez Hirahi De Los Angeles 26.08.1981
15 ESP Porro Araico Mayte 15.10.1976
16 FIN Raatikainen Saija 19.05.1980
17 FIN Zukovski Ivana 06.04.1974
18 FRA Frappart Stéphanie 14.12.1983
19 GRE Boumpouri Konstantina 09.05.1981
20 GRE Kaskantiri Evgenia 06.03.1980
21 GRE Lampadariou Eleni 28.01.1979
22 HUN Urban Eszter 03.09.1984
23 ITA Farinelli Giovanna 08.08.1980
24 KAZ Gavrilova Irina 07.10.1985
25 LVA Pece Ginta 29.06.1971
26 MDA Ceban Svetlana 27.02.1985
27 NED Peeters Vivian 29.09.1981
28 NOR Larsen Monica 30.12.1971
29 POL Plaskocinska Agnieszka 23.03.1977
30 POL Zajac Justyna 03.10.1979
31 POR Correia Tavares Berta Maria 04.07.1974
32 POR Monteiro Pejapes Marcia 31.10.1978
33 ROU Bujor Cristina 01.03.1983
34 RUS Tereshchenko Irina 06.01.1973
35 SRB Jovanovic Ana 19.04.1983
36 SRB Markovic Daniela 03.05.1978
37 SVK Strpkova Zuzana 27.03.1985
38 SVN Subotic Tanja 28.03.1977
39 SWE Andersson Linn 18.01.1982
40 SWE Persson Sara 15.08.1976
41 TUR Gökcek Kadriye 03.11.1975
42 UKR Didych Inna 06.01.1975

Damkova part 2: ‘Nobody likes referees :-)’

Dagmar Damkova is a female referee who almost achieved everything in her refereeing career. Last season she got appointed for “the match of the year” the Czech top men’s league.

This is the second part of an interview with the Czech top referee. Read the first part also on the Dutch Referee Blog.

You’re officiating in the men’s league. When was your debut at men’s highest level?

It was in October 2003. In that season I had only 3 matches. I started to have games in top men’s league quite regularly in 2006.
Czech women‘s league is not professional and I am not so positive about that even for the future. Now it is very hard to find money even for men …

Watch the video below: Damkova in action in the Czech men’s league.

What’s the main difference between refereeing male and female players?

‘In men’s games you have more difficult situations, more tackles,more chaeting, more “card”-situations and it is faster. Women use more their head and tactics.’

In an interview with Czech radio you once said: “In men’s football I think they behave much better to me than to men referees.” Is that the reason your card average (see stats below) is so low?

Season 2010/2011 in Gambrinus Liga, Czech’s highest men’s league.

Dagmar Damkova: 32 yellow cards in 14 matches
Jiri Jech: 29 yellow and 1 red card in 11 matches.
Pavel Kralovec: 37 yellow cards in 10 matches
Libor Kovarik: 81 yelow cards, twice 2nd yellow card and two red cards in 19 matches.
Radek Matejek: 58 yellow and two red cards in 16 matches.
Radek Prihoda: 68 yellow cards, 5 second yellow cards and 1 straight red card in 16 matches.
Jan Jílek: 54 yellow cards and one 2nd yellow card in 16 matches.

All these referees are Fifa officials. More stats on Worldfootball.net.

According to these stats you don’t give as many cards as your male colleagues. How do you explain the low average from you (or from female referees in general)?

‘That’s interesting and that’s true. At the weekend I had juniors and yesterday top men’s league Brno-Sparta Prague (Dagmar replied her answers just before I went on holiday, jan). and I did not show any card in both games. Even in EC and WC the committee members know me and sometimes make fun saying in debriefings – this is yellow even for Dagmar :-). In my opinion the reason is that I am not afraid to let them play and I am not worried (like many referees are) that I will lose control over the game. I do not give ‘easy’ cards. If I can, I try to speak to players – it is about the management, your personality and confidence.’

What’s the status of refereeing in Czech Republic if you compare that to other countries?

‘Nobody likes referees 🙂 , I think it is the same everywhere but everybody must respect them in some way. I always say to people who critisise that they can try it … but they answer: “I would never ever do it”. Refs have a difficult position but if you choose to do it, you must know about that position and you must accept it, otherwise you can not survive.

How do you combine refereeing with your job as a teacher?

‘It works well. Last year I quit at school because I was named as a chairwoman of women’s football and did not have so much time any more. Now I have only my private lessons (bank, doctors and some friends) and I am happy about it. Sometimes I go back to school to help with some exams but that’s all.’

What’s the main goal you want to achieve in the refereeing World? And why?

‘I think I achieved almost everything – the only final I do not have is the WWC but I am realistic!!!!. I went to it step by step, never dreamt of all I got and I am really happy. Last year I had the “match of the year” in men’s league and it was the last what proved to some people who still did not believe in me that I can do it (I hope). Now I go from match to match, doing my best.’

Suggestion for the Czech visitors of my website (I got a message from a visitor from Iran, so why not from the Czech Republic?): a big interview with Dagmar Damkova on Czech tv station Z1.

‘I want to be in the middle of the game I love’

Dagmar Damkova is the only female referee in the Czech Republic who officiates on the highest men’s level. As an internationale women’s referee she refereed almost every important match. Only the WC final is missing on her record with achievements.

An interview from the Dutch Referee Blog with this Czech top referee (part 1). Read part two here.

When and why did you become refereeing?

Dagmar Damkova: ‘It was in January 1995 when I was almost about to give up my football career but then I continued one more year. However, it was hard to do both, so I decided for refereeing.’

Dagmar Damkova on Czech television.

What makes it special for you?

‘It’s hard to say but probably the feeling that I can be on the pitch, in the middle of the game which I love and the importance of my presence there.’

Height: 170 cm
Occupation: English teacher
Mother tongue: Czech
Other languages: German, Spanish, Russian
International since: 1999
First international: Belarus-Moldova (17.04.1999)
Hobbies: Sport, music, TV, reading, meeting friends, languages and dogs
Fondest memory: UEFA Women’s Cup, FIFA U-20 WWC, FIFA WWC China 2007 (Semifinal), Women’s OFT Beijing 2008 (Final)
Biography source: Fifa.com

You’ve got four appointments during the U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany this summer. You’ve also acted on EC and got a WC semi-final. How important are these youth matches for you? And are there any differences in how you prepare for them or how you experience them?

‘Every match is important for me. The importance of this tournament and my (and all referees’s) performance was that this was kind of a selection for the Women World Cup (WWC) 2011 in Germany. It means – if I had done a bad job, my chances to be selected would have gone down. So, I prepared for all the matches the same way as I always do.’

How do you prepare for a match/tournament?

‘I train 4-5 times a week (running, gym, swimming, cycling) and go regularly for a massage. I have a jaccuzzi at home, so after the match or training I spend there 15 minutes to relieve the pain and tiredness. We get the running plan from FIFA fitness coach and we have to send our files with polar results to him every month. So there’s no place to cheat :-).’

This is the first part of the interview with Dagmar Damkova. In the second and last part, which will be published next Saturday, she’ll tell you more about her role in the highest men’s league in the Czech Republic and her future goals.