In Peruvian soccer, there have been few women who have played an important role, and Silvia Reyes is one of them. She was a FIFA referee for many years and ended her career as a fourth official in the victory of Alianza Lima by 2-0 against Comerciantes Unidos, which gave the team the title of the 2017 Descentralizado Tournament.
On the occasion of International Women's Day, Reyes spoke with 'Fútbol Como Cancha' from RPP Noticias about her career as a referee and expressed her discomfort with the machismo that exists in certain sectors of the Peruvian population.
"I was in arbitration for almost 18 years. At the beginning, it was quite difficult, especially in a country where there is still some machismo and sometimes they don't understand that a woman is also capable of doing a job that is mostly done by men. However, little by little, I earned my place with a lot of perseverance and effort. Thank God it went well for me both nationally and internationally," said Reyes.
Furthermore, when asked if she was ever segregated or not taken into account by her colleagues, Reyes replied that no, but she did experience something similar with the players or the audience present in the stadium when directing a match.
"I had the support of the Referee Commission, the FPF, and my colleagues. From my colleagues, there has always been a lot of support and companionship, I never felt segregated by them. I think I felt more like that on the field, either from the players or the audience. But when you have a well-defined personality and you are convinced of what you are doing, you look forward without letting yourself be carried away by criticism," she concluded.
