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England v Italy referee: Who is Women's Euro 2025 official Ivana Martincic?

England v Italy referee: Who is Women's Euro 2025 official Ivana Martincic?

Independent6 hours ago
Ivana Martincic is the referee for England's Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy tonight.
The Croatian official is one of the tournament's top referees and took charge of Arsenal's victory over Barcelona in last season's Women's Champions League final in Lisbon.
The 39-year-old was assigned her third match of Euro 2025 when she was given the England v Italy semi-final, having previously overseen Italy's 1-1 draw with Portugal and France's 5-2 win over Netherlands in the group stages.
Martincic made history when she became the first female referee to officiate a match involving the Germany men's national team, taking charge of their 9-0 win over Liechtenstein in 2021.
She has been a regular official in the Women's Champions League in recent years and awarded Chelsea a contentious last-minute penalty against Lyon in the 2023 quarter-finals.
Having been the fourth official for the 2024 Women's Champions League final between Barcelona and Lyon, Martincic was appointed as the referee for the 2025 final as Arsenal shocked Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon.
Martincic is one of 13 elite female referees at Euro 2025 and Uefa has demanded high standards of the officials employed to take charge of games during the tournament.
Uefa's managing director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti said all 13 referees at Euro 2025 passed the same fitness test that is conducted for the elite men's referees.
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