Iran TV cancels Bundesliga match due to woman referee
Iran State TV decided to not to show the match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg on the grounds the referee's clothing was not appropriate.
Iranian state television broadcaster IRIB canceled its planned coverage of the game between Bayern Munich and Augsburg because the referee in charge was female.
IRIB was due to screen the game as part of their European coverage, but executives decided to cancel the game upon discovering that the referee in charge of hte match would not be a man. The referee was the highly rated Bibiana Steinhaus.
The game, in the 22nd week of the Bundesliga, saw Bayern Munich move to two points behind table-toppers Borussia Dortmund, but was not considered appropriate under Iranian because a woman cannot wear what the rules consider to be 'liberal clothes', including such garmets as shorts.
Bibiana Steinhaus' career
Steinhaus is a 39 year-old policewomen, who started her refereeing career in the German women's league in 1999. In 2007 she started officiating men's senior matches, joining the referee rota for the men's Bundesliga in September of that year.
She is the first woman to referee a match in Germany's First Division; her first appearance was in week 3, overseeing the game between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen.
At International level, she has refereed the finals of the Women's World Championship Japan 2011 and the women's final at the London 2012 Olympic Games.