Burnley manager Vincent Kompany on Saturday congratulated Rebecca Welch for a “milestone” achievement after she became the first woman to referee an English Premier League match by taking charge of the Clarets’ 2-0 win at Fulham.
Welch, a 40-year-old from Washington, England, was working for the British National Health Service when she began her refereeing career in 2010.
She rose through the officiating ranks and, in 2021, became the first woman appointed to referee a match in the English Football League when she took charge of the fourth-tier fixture between Harrogate Town AFC and Port Vale.
Photo: AFP
Welch was also the first female official to referee matches in the Championship and third round of the FA Cup.
“I wanted to congratulate her because it’s a big moment,” said Kompany, who spoke to Welch after full-time at Craven Cottage.
“After the game it’s fair to say that it’s a milestone moment and may there be more, and the best thing will always be when someone is judged on merit, but you have to have a first and this is it, so well done [to her] and I’m happy to be part of this moment,” he said.
Welch had little to do early on during a slow start in London before her decision to not award a Vitinho handball frustrated Fulham.
Welch remained unmoved by players’ reactions when making her rulings and was happy to play advantage for both sides whenever possible in a match in which long-range strikes from Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge gave Burnley only their third league win of the season.
She booked Calvin Bassey after 25 minutes for striking Josh Brownhill. The Fulham defender refused to walk toward Welch when signaled by her on three occasions, but eventually approached the referee and was cautioned.
Welch’s name was greeted by cheers when read out by the announcer at Craven Cottage ahead of kickoff.
However, Fulham fans became increasingly annoyed as Welch’s first few decisions went in favor of the visitors and they cheered sarcastically when the hosts were awarded a foul in midfield.
It was hard to argue with Welch’s decisions until that point.
However, whistles and chants of “don’t know what you are doing” rang round the ground after she waved off Harry Wilson’s appeals just inside the visitors’ half — although this was the sort of comment any referee might expect.
Welch maintained her composure and authority throughout an assured Premier League debut.
Meanwhile, Arsenal is to spend Christmas Day on top of the league after they held title rivals Liverpool to a pulsating 1-1 draw at Anfield, while Manchester United crashed to a dismal 2-0 defeat at West Ham United.
Tottenham Hotspur moved up to fourth, three points behind Arsenal, with a 2-1 win against Everton in north London, while Luton Town bolstered their bid for survival with an impressive 1-0 win against Newcastle United at Kenilworth Road.
Elsewhere, AFC Bournemouth topped Nottingham Forest 3-2.
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