Désirée Grundbacher is the only Swiss referee who will be officiating at the European Championships. The Bernese referee explains how she deals with the pressure and criticism.
03.07.2025, 05:00
03.07.2025, 06:51
SDA
She doesn't call herself a pioneer, but she was one as a player. Grundbacher was one of the first Swiss footballers to receive a semi-professional contract during her time at GC.
However, the former midfielder, who was already working as a referee at the time, opted for the whistle rather than the contract offered to her by Grasshoppers. "There was a shortage of referees and the association signaled to me that I could quickly become active in the top leagues. That's why I decided to take a different path," Grundbacher recalls 15 years later at the referees' media day. It was there that she prepared for her first major international competition.
Avoiding controversy
Grundbacher will referee at least two matches in the group stage, the first on Thursday in Sion between Belgium and Italy (18:00). After that, her performance will determine whether she will be called upon again in the knockout phase.
The 41-year-old has never had the chance to take part in a major tournament as a player, although she has 13 caps for the national team. "Taking part in a home European Championship is very nice, also as a referee. My team and I will try to do our best to ensure that the games are always fair and there are never any controversies," she says when asked about her personal goal.
Grundbacher is one of the few female referees who referee both men's and women's matches. This season, she refereed ten Super League matches for the men and had to listen to some criticism. However, she assures that she never reads the comments on social media or anything else. "However, if I am approached personally, I always accept this criticism in order to improve."
Fitness tests before the match
As in the Super League, video support in the form of VAR will also be used at the European Championship. "I try to referee a match equally well with or without VAR. The biggest challenge for me with VAR is that the game is delayed and we all have to wait and see," she says.
In recent years, the Swiss has become accustomed to the change from women's to men's football. The main difference is the physical intensity, which requires slightly more intensive training. Roberto Rosetti, UEFA's Director of Refereeing, asked the thirteen women selected for Euro 2025 to adapt their preparation accordingly. "I am very proud because they have all passed the physical test of the men," said the Italian.
In the footsteps of Petignat and Staubli
Grundbacher and her colleagues approach the men's and women's matches in the same way. "It's the same football," says Frenchwoman Stéphanie Frappart. "That's what makes the level so high: adapting to the rhythm and technique of the teams in every game," adds the leading women's referee, who has also refereed a match at the 2022 Men's World Cup in Qatar.
Désirée Grundbacher is following in the footsteps of Nicole Petignat and Esther Staubli, the other two Swiss women to have refereed at a European Championship final tournament. She hopes that she can also inspire future Swiss female referees. She has just one piece of advice: "Be strong! Nothing more."
