Who is Ivana Martincic, the referee who made so many mistakes in England-Italy

Who is Ivana Martincic, whose direction of England-Italy, semifinal of the women’s European soccer championship, left more than one doubtful?

International referee since 2014, she was born in Koprivnica, some 70 kilometers from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on June 28, 1985.

Last May, she directed her first Uefa Women’s Champions League final, between Arsenal and Barcelona, won 1-0 by the English despite the clear supremacy of the Spanish.

The previous year what many in Italy have dubbed the ‘Byron Moreno in skirts’ had played the role of fourth official in the final between Lyon and Barcelona in Bilbao. At the European Championships now drawing to a close in Switzerland she had already refereed Italy in the 1-1 draw against Portugal, and in the past she has directed key matches at the European Youth Championships.

In her homeland, she is considered the most important refereeing figure in women’s football, in Italy the esteem for her, as of Tuesday night, is decidedly lower.