Claudia Romani gives up modelling to become professional referee in Italy
Italian Supermodel model Claudia Romani has given up modeling to to pursue a career as a professional referee in the top two divisions of Italian football. Romani has passed all the parameters and gained all the badges required to referee fixtures in both Serie A and Serie B. The 32-year old would become the first female referee in Serie A.
The beauty queen has featured in magazines like Maxim and GQ through the years besides appearing in commercials for Samsung, Toyota and Ford. She won the "Most Beautiful of 2012" award ahead of Sofia Vergara and Megan Fox and also the ‘Bikini Body 2012’ on the VH1 website in the supermodels category, beating Adriana Lima and Naomi Campbell.
Romani was quoted as saying, “Running around on the pitch with all those players and calling the shots is just an irresistible opportunity.”
The position of women and sexism in world football is an issue worth debating as the number of female officials are only a handful. Recently, TV football presenter Katarina Sreckovic was asked to leave the touchline because she was 'too attractive' and was 'distracting the players' is a harrowing example of issues the game must fight.
Until now, no female referee has taken charge of a Serie A game due to the amount of know-how it entails. However, Romani looks likes she is on the verge of breaking the deadlock and set the precedent.