Female ref to make Bundesliga debut

Germany’s Bibiana Steinhaus is set to make Bundesliga history today by becoming the first woman to referee in one of Europe’s top leagues, according to reports. Top German daily newspapers Bild and Die Welt claim the 38-year-old Steinhaus will officiate when Hertha Berlin host Werder Bremen in Germany’s top flight in the capital on Sunday.The German Football Association (DFB) has refused to confirm the reports and, as is customary, will only announce the referee appointments for the following weekend in the Bundesliga tomorrow. Steinhaus, who is on the official list of Bundesliga referees for the 2017/18 season, has sat out the first two rounds of matches this season.Her debut on Sunday at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium is set to make Steinhaus the first female referee in the German, English, Spanish, French or Italian leagues, having already been an assistant referee in the Bundesliga. She is experienced at the top level having officiated the women’s Champions League final in Cardiff this year and the 2012 women’s Olympic tournament final in London.German FA boss wants ticket checks after fans’ Nazi chantsThe head of the German FA (DFB) wants tighter ticketing controls for international matches after Germany fans chanted Nazi slogans during a 2018 World Cup qualifier, with FIFA poised to investigate.The world champions are incensed after a group of German hooligans chanted ‘Sieg Heil’ (Hail Victory) and verbally abused their own players during Friday’s 2-1 win at Prague’s Eden Arena in a World Cup qualifier.Yesterday, a FIFA spokesman has said world football’s governing body is considering whether to investigate the misconduct and is waiting for the match report. The 200-strong group of Germans managed to get hold of tickets in a fan block meant for home supporters from a local ticketing outlet in Prague. They hurled verbal abuse as well as disrupting the minute’s silence for two deceased Czech officials before kick-off, which has led to calls for tighter ticket checks. “I will address the issue next week with UEFA’s executive committee,” DFB president Reinhard Grindel said, with European football’s governing body due to meet in Nyon, Switzerland, on September 20. “We must discuss the issue of tickets together with the other European associations and find ways to ensure more control across Europe. We have a traceable allocation for our contingent through the national team’s fan club. The truth is that in countries like San Marino and the Czech Republic, there are absolutely no checks, because, for example, local residents can pass on tickets unchecked (to away fans) and tickets are freely available.” Germany’s head coach Joachim Loew said the “Sieg Heil” chants brought ‘shame on Germany’. Defender Mats Hummels, who scored the winning goal in Prague, branded those responsible “hooligans who have nothing to do with football fans”.There are fears there will be more bad behaviour from home fans when Germany host Norway on Monday in Stuttgart. Victory against the Norwegians will seal Germany’s place at next year’s World Cup in Russia, providing Group C rivals Northern Ireland fail to beat the Czech Republic.