The Football Association published on Tuesday afternoon, his referee selection for the 2023 season (you will switch to another service). At the same time, it became clear that there will probably not be female referees in the Finnish men’s main series until 2023.
Whistled on international pitches Lina Lehtovaara was named as a referee in the men’s First Division, where he has whistled matches since the 2019 season – not in the Veikkausliiga, where he has been determinedly targeting for several years.
– I think at the moment we have nine of the best referees in Finland whistling in the Veikkausliiga, Veikkausliiga’s referee manager Matthias Gestranius commented to Urheilu.
– Performances are of course the most important in order to rise from the First and get individual games from the league, you have to perform well in the men’s First, you have to be the best in it, so you can show your skills in the Veikkausliiga. This year, we gave four Ykkönen referees a Veikkausliiga game.
In order to blow the whistle in the Veikkausliiga, referees must also pass the physical tests organized twice a year.
The ongoing men’s soccer World Cup 2022 now saw a female referee for the first time, when Stephanie Frappart whistled the match between Germany and Costa Rica a week ago.
Frappart whistled in his home country’s French men’s main league for the first time in 2019. In August of the same year, Frappart served as a referee for the Uefa Super Cup. Since then, he has refereed matches in the Europa League, Champions League and World Cup qualifiers.
Female referees have been seen in major European leagues like Germany, Italy and France, but also in the leagues of Brazil, Ukraine and Egypt. In Estonia, the first female referee in the men’s main series was seen in 2005.
International screens are of little use
Lina Lehtovaara blew the whistle in the women’s Champions League final last spring. In the summer, at the Women’s European Championships, he refereed two group stage matches and was the fourth referee in the quarter-final match and the semi-final match.
– Yes, our domestic games weigh more in the horizontal cup. However, they are different games, there is a different football culture here. They are different in style and physicality. Of course, it’s great that both men and women do well abroad, but the most important thing for me personally is at least how well they do at home, Gestranius reasons.
– There is a lot of talk about the high-quality everyday life of the players. I have talked about the high-quality everyday life of referees, and that routine is whistling Finnish futs. I consider it very important.
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Lina Lehtovaara is aiming for the Women’s World Championships held in the summer, which will be held in July-August in Australia and New Zealand. However, Gestranius does not believe that blowing the whistle in international games would be in the way of the Veikkausliiga dream.
– I believe that if he is part of the First Team from the beginning, he will be able to whistle a lot of First Team games, not if, but when he goes to the World Cup. I could see that there is definitely a place for him in the games. The number one starts at the beginning of April, so he won’t have time to give good performances.
But when does Gestranius think that Finland will see a female referee in the men’s main series?
– Probably when we have a woman who meets the criteria, i.e. clears the tests and is the best of the men’s Ykkönen. I don’t think it will take terribly long anymore.
Lehtovaara was disappointed with the decision
Lina Lehtovaara assures that the dream of whistling in the Veikkausliiga has not been buried.
– The starting point was that it had to serve this future WC venue. Regarding the WC places, the choices will come in the next few weeks, and hopefully my name will be on the list. Relative to that, it would have been important to take a step and get into the Veikkausliiga, Lehtovaara reasons.
According to Lehtovaara, the biggest goal is to participate in top international matches. However, refereeing in the Veikkausliiga would also help here, and that is why Lehtovaara is also disappointed.
– I remember that the work I do is highly valued abroad. Here in Finland, the appreciation may not yet be at the level that you would be able to do well in the Veikkausliiga. It’s sad in the sense that women have been chosen to participate in big matches abroad. I hope that the same appreciation can be found in Pallloliito, concludes Lehtovaara.