Nicole Petignat
Encyclopedia
Nicole Petignat was born on October 27, 1966 in La Chaux-de-Fonds
, in Switzerland
. In August 2003 she became the first female referee of a men's football
game organized by the UEFA
, AIK Fotboll
(SWE
) versus Fylkir
(ISL
) in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup
.
Petignat passed her youth in the canton of Jura
. She started to take courses of arbitration in 1983 and consecutively climbed all the levels leading to the arbitration in the national League A (later the Swiss Super League
). Petignat is thus one of only few female referees to work in professional male football with matches in the first Swiss and Austrian Bundesliga league. Altogehter, Nicole Petignat refereed 91 Swiss first league matches and in May 2007 also the final of the Swiss Cup FC Basel
versus FC Lucerne
. Her experience was also recognized when she became the first woman to referee a UEFA Cup
match of male in 2003.
In July 1999 in Los Angeles
she refereed the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup between the United States
and China
. In September 2000, she refereed in the women's football
tournament at the Olympic Games of Sydney
and in 2001 she was in charge of the UEFA Women's Euro final Germany
versus Sweden
. Furthermore, she refereed in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Women's Euro 2005 and the Women's World Cup 2007.
As a player, Petignat played up to second division in Switzerland. She lives in Watt, in the canton of Zurich, where she is a medical masseuse. From 2000 to 2006 she lived together with the Swiss referee Urs Meier
. In December 2008, Petignat resigned as a referee.
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
, in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In August 2003 she became the first female referee of a men's football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
game organized by the UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
, AIK Fotboll
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
(SWE
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) versus Fylkir
Fylkir
Fylkir FC is an athletic club in Árbær, in the eastern part of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland.Former players include Helgi Valur Daníelsson, who now plays for AIK, and Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, formerly of Arsenal and currently plays for Zulte Waregem in Belgium. Ragnar Sigurðsson who plays with...
(ISL
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Petignat passed her youth in the canton of Jura
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
. She started to take courses of arbitration in 1983 and consecutively climbed all the levels leading to the arbitration in the national League A (later the Swiss Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
). Petignat is thus one of only few female referees to work in professional male football with matches in the first Swiss and Austrian Bundesliga league. Altogehter, Nicole Petignat refereed 91 Swiss first league matches and in May 2007 also the final of the Swiss Cup FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
versus FC Lucerne
FC Lucerne
FC Luzern is a Swiss football club, founded in 1901. The club colors are blue and white, derived from the Canton of Lucerne and the City of Lucerne coats of arms.- History :...
. Her experience was also recognized when she became the first woman to referee a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
match of male in 2003.
In July 1999 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
she refereed the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup between the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
and China
China women's national football team
The China women's national football team represents the People's Republic of China in international women's football.- Records :China had held the record of going for 442 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, until it was broken by Germany on September 26, 2007, when Germany beat Norway 3-0...
. In September 2000, she refereed in the women's football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament at the Olympic Games of Sydney
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and in 2001 she was in charge of the UEFA Women's Euro final Germany
Germany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
versus Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
. Furthermore, she refereed in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Women's Euro 2005 and the Women's World Cup 2007.
As a player, Petignat played up to second division in Switzerland. She lives in Watt, in the canton of Zurich, where she is a medical masseuse. From 2000 to 2006 she lived together with the Swiss referee Urs Meier
Urs Meier
Urs Meier is a retired, Swiss football referee, a grocer by trade who owns a brand of household appliances in Würenlos, Switzerland. From 1994 until 2004 he was an international FIFA referee...
. In December 2008, Petignat resigned as a referee.
Literature
- Pierre-André Marchand: Nicole Petignat. La fille que siffle les garçons. Éditions Favre, Lausanne 2006, ISBN 2-8289-0899-2