Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi named IFFHS best female referee, but in Italy… | OneFootball

The Livornese Ferrieri Caputi, 35 years old and holding two degrees, has just been named the best female referee on the planet. Yet in Serie A this year, she has still refereed zero matches. Why?

Referees, Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi makes history: best female referee of 2025 according to IFFHS, but in Italy…

The historic achievement of Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi marks a moment of great significance for Italian football and for women’s football on a global scale. The Italian referee has been officially named IFFHS Women’s World Best Referee 2025, winning the title of best referee in the world according to the prestigious annual ranking of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

2025 ranking and results

The recognition comes at the end of a fierce competition, breaking the international French dominance of Stéphanie Frappart, who held an impressive record of five consecutive wins (2019-2023). The full podium of the 2025 ranking is as follows:

1st place: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (Italy) – 97 points

2nd place: Stéphanie Frappart (France) – 93 points

3rd place: Ivana Martincic

With 97 points, Ferrieri Caputi confirms herself not only as a leading figure in Italian football, but also as a symbol of international excellence in refereeing, highlighting competence, authority, and the ability to manage the game at the highest levels.

A historic recognition

This success represents a milestone in Ferrieri Caputi’s career, cementing her role as a reference point in the world of female refereeing. Italy thus celebrates another excellence in football, confirming the growth and professionalism of women referees, capable of excelling on global stages and inspiring new generations.

Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi enters history: 2025 will be remembered as the year in which Italy produced the world’s best female referee.

First to blow the whistle in Serie A (Sassuolo-Salernitana, ’22), first from the AIA to officiate men’s national teams (Germany-Peru, ’23), first to lead an all-female team in Serie A (Inter-Torino, ’24). However, her 8 appearances in Serie A ’23-24 dropped to 2 last season and remain at 0 in the current one. An eclipse of Maria Sole. Why? We don’t recall any particular blunders from her, while in this first part of the season we’ve seen everything, even an offside called on a goal kick. We don’t see legions of Collinas blocking the world’s number one female referee from entering the pitch. We’re told that in athletic tests, Caputi holds her own against her male colleagues, much to their annoyance. The suspicion is that in a sport governed by 48 male and 2 female federation presidents, equal opportunity continues to resemble the Loch Ness monster: many talk about it, but no one sees it, writes Gazzetta.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.