Mariangela Presicce often encounters boos and whistles from extremists in the stands. These are people who carry a strong sexist ideology in football and think that refereeing is not a woman’s job.

Now 20 years old, Presicce once won a beauty contest and appeared as a model in several shows in her home country of Italy. In addition to modeling, Presicce is passionate about football and is a qualified referee.

Possessing a fiery body with perfect measurements, Presicce is described by the Italian press as “the sexiest referee in the world”.

During a fashion show, Presicce walked the catwalk in a referee outfit and pulled out a red card to speak out against sexism in football. Presicce comes from the small city of Nardo, near Lecce, Southern Italy. She is one of the few female referees who is officiating local matches.

The 20-year-old model inherited her passion for sports from her father, a coach. She shared about the pressure she faced from sexist people in the stands:

“I am offended. They whistled, booed, told me to go home and work in the kitchen and not go out into the yard to blow the whistle. On the field, I had to listen to all kinds of harsh words. But I overcame those prejudices. I have been a referee for 5 years. I will never give up.”

“I love football and will challenge all insults and stereotypes. People often ask me how I can stand firm in the face of insults from the stands. I replied that if you have a real passion for this sport, you will cover your ears, not your heart. Otherwise, you will feel bad and think that evil exists.”

Presicce just had the honor of participating in Milano fashion week. She added about sexism in football: “I’m just angry with those guys. Unfortunately, we live in a world of distortions and not much humanity.”

In addition to being a model and referee, Presicce also participates in the movement to raise awareness about violence against women.