Bibiana Steinhaus draws praise on historic Bundesliga debut

The 38-year-old police officer, who has been a German FA referee since 1999, became the first woman to officiate a top-flight game.

Actualizado a 11 de septiembre de 2017 04:59 CEST

Referee Bibiana Steinhaus talks with Berlin's Bosnian forward Vedad Ibisevic during German first division Bundesliga football match between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen on September 10, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. / AFP PHOTO / Tobias SCHWARZ / RESTRICTIONS: DURING MATCH TIME: DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE TO 15 PICTURES PER MATCH AND FORBID IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT + 49 69 650050 TOBIAS SCHWARZAFP

Bibiana Steinhaus made history on Sunday as she became the first woman to referee a Bundesliga match, taking charge of the 1-1 draw between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen on Sunday

And the 38-year-old police officer, who has been a German FA referee since 1999 and taken charge of 80 second division matches since 2007, did so to wide acclaim.

German FA president Reinhard Grindel described it as "certainly a historic moment."

"To make all the right decisions so confidently, it was certainly a first-class performance," he added.

Hertha defender Sebastian Langkamp said: "She did well, although that is no surprise."

Werder coach Alexander Nouri added: "I've said before that it doesn't matter whether a man or a woman is refereeing. It's the performance that counts and that was okay."