Most Influential Women in Football

Women's Football

Football has always been considered a predominantly, if not exclusively, male sport. However, women are gaining more and more importance in it. Moreover, at the recent congress, FIFA decided to include six female representatives to the International Federation. Thus, with changes like that, today we would like to honor the most influential women in football. Starting off with …


Kristen Pazik, model

Since 2004, the American model has been a wife of the legendary Ukrainian football player Andrei Shevchenko. The couple has four sons, the eldest of whom, Jordan, is already 12 years old.

In the summer of 2006, Shevchenko sensationally decided to part with Milan and go to London’s Chelsea. Andrei said that this was mostly because of the family reasons, and the press immediately thought that it was Pazik who insisted on moving to the UK. This may be the truth, as Jose Mourinho once said that in the Shevchenko family, Andrei’s wife decides everything.

Kristen’s desire to move to London ultimately undermined her husband’s career, who wasn’t able to play for Chelsea and soon returned to Dynamo Kyiv.

But it doesn’t seem like he was offended by it. They are still married, and it doesn’t seem like they are planning to end their relationship any time soon.


Eva Carneiro, doctor

She is a 44-year-old Briton that has become one of the main leading specialists in her profession. This is quite shocking if you consider the fact that just ten years ago, she was just a simple masseur. In 2009, during a Chelsea match, Eva captured everyone with her natural beauty. She made both paparazzi and the fans restless. She was (and still is) very stunning.

Yet it wasn’t that good for a long time, as with the start of the 2015/16 season, Eva went through lots of disagreements with the head coach of Chelsea, Jose Mourinho who accused the girl of his team’s failures. Which is quite stupid if you ask me. The Portuguese coach kicked Carneiro out of the team, but this did not save him from being fired from the club himself later on. It is rumored that one of the main reasons that Jose got kicked out of the team was precisely his irrational behavior towards Carneiro.


Catherine Monzoul, referee

In 2015, a Ukrainian football referee Catherine Monzoul was named the best referee on the planet. Monzoul has long been recognized worldwide for her skill as a referee. In 2011, she entered the list of the most elite arbitrators there are, and she was the first Ukrainian to ever enter that list.

The curator of the arbitration system in Ukraine, the UEFA Head of Referees, and the greatest football referee of all time, Pierluigi Collina has recognized her talents. “Fantômas” entrusted her to serve the final of the women’s Champions League two years ago. And last year, she was the main referee of the decisive match of the World Cup.


Barbara Berlusconi, executive

If you are on the board of directors of Milan, and your last name is Berlusconi, then there is nothing surprising that you are one of the main women in Italian football. At the same time, the daughter of the former Italian Prime Minister isn’t just wasting her time there; she is quite passionate about her job. She is one of the CEO of A.C. Milan.

Barbara takes an active part in the life of the club. It was on her initiative that the red-black office was built. Also, it is she who has the last word in the transfer policy of Milan. They say that Berlusconi had an affair with the Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato. It is speculated that they’ve decided to part ways with Pato just because of this scandal.


Olga Smorodskaya, the president of Lokomotiv

“I have no conflict with Olga: she has a conflict with football.” Famous last words of the former coach of Moscow Lokomotiv and Dynamo Kyiv Yuri Semin entered a kind of football folklore. However, today, nobody will argue with the fact that Smorodskaya is one of the most significant figures in Russian football.

She was openly criticized by Lokomotiv’s fans, but an attempt to dismiss Smorodskaya from her job in 2013 failed miserably. The media are confident that it was Lokomotiv’s president who convinced football player Dmitry Tarasov to put on a T-shirt with Vladimir Putin’s image for the match in Turkey. This turned into a huge scandal and a trial in UEFA. Despite what you might think about her, she is the most influential woman in the Russian football scene right now.


Sarah Carbonero, journalist

The 32 year-old Spaniard is not just a sports journalist but also the girlfriend of Real Madrid’s legend Iker Casillas. It is clear that her close ties with the goalkeeper of the Spanish national team left their mark on the status of Sarah in football.

Carbonero’s influence reached its peak in 2013. Real was then managed by one and only Jose Mourinho. At some point, he has lost his trust in Casillas. The Portuguese coach accused the goalkeeper’s girlfriend of being too talkative about the atmosphere within the team. As in the case of Carneiro, the conflict with the woman led to him leaving the club.

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