German referee Bibiana Steinhaus has been appointed to officiate the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 final between the United States and Japan on Sunday.
The 32-year old Steinhaus will be accompanied by her assistant referees Maria Wozniak and Katrin Rafalski, while Sweden’s Jenny Palmqvist will be the fourth official.
Steinhaus was born in the city of Bad Lauterberg im Harz, Germany and is a police officer by profession. She is an experienced referee who has been on the FIFA list since 2005 and she is used to officiate in the highest national and international level. Steinhaus referees in the German Women’s Bundesliga and in the Men’s 2nd Division Bundesliga.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 final in Frankfurt will be Steinhaus’ third appearance in the tournament, after officiating the Equatorial Guinea v Brazil and USA v Korea DPR matches.