The Catalan Doriane Domenjo, 5th referee of the match USAP – Castres, returns to a regrettable incident of which she was the victim in Aimé-Giral: sexist remarks made against her by a Catalan supporter at the end of the match and for which the club blood and gold had to go before the disciplinary committee of the National Rugby League. “The media coverage that was made around this incident, it was not pleasant for me and it pained me for the USAP which is the club of my hometown. But we had to denounce so as not to trivialize this genre. behavior, ”she explained.
Doriane Domenjo, what happened after the final whistle of USAP – Castres (defeat 19-20)?
I am picking up material under the Chevalier stand when the 4th referee of the match hears sexist insults erupting. I realize it. As I am the only woman present, I suspected that it was for me. The person in question continues to insult and takes the lead with witnesses of the scene who took my defense as a journalist from Canal +, members of staffs, supporters. I did not understand. I am the 5th referee (the one who fills in the match sheets, editor’s note), why do they come to provoke me? In the locker room, we discussed it and decided as a team to include these facts in the complementary report, I never intended to lodge a complaint, but it was important not to accept this type of behavior. The 4th referee reported the remarks which shocked the audience.
How do you welcome the decision of the Disciplinary Commission of the National Rugby League which did not sanction the USAP for these facts?
The club are responsible for security in the stadium but cannot prevent someone from speaking. They condemned the comments and always welcome us warmly, so I welcome this decision very well.
It was aimed at my function and the fact that I am a woman
Is this the first time that you have faced this kind of attitude?
Generally speaking, I never had any particular problems. The media coverage that was made around this incident was not pleasant for me and it pained me for the USAP which is the club in my hometown. But we had to denounce so as not to trivialize this kind of behavior.
In your opinion, is it even more complicated for a woman to win as a referee on a rugby pitch?
In the arbitration family, we are welcomed and well integrated. Things are progressing in the direction of equality: from now on, the referees boys and girls each have their classification, no one takes the place of anyone when we progress in Federal. In addition, we have the same physical tests and the same written and oral exams spread over two years. After that, there is the attitude of some supporters, but mentalities are changing.
Whether male or female, is the referee ultimately in the eye of the storm?
You know, we are human. As a player makes a bad pass, we can make bad decisions. To arbitrate is to accompany the actors in the respect of the rules and the game, to bring equity when this is broken by being aware that the perfect match does not exist. A form of perfection in uncertainty. But what do you want, some find in the referee the reason for a defeat. Does wearing a microphone for television allow us to be better understood by viewers? Even if there is respect in rugby, the fact of hearing everything, it indeed avoids overflows. In football, for example, we see that it is not always the same thing.
Did you all the same know funny anecdotes thanks to your whistle?
Sure ! A few years ago, I took part in a meal with the parliamentary XV. We were received at the Ministry of Agriculture. A place that I would not have known otherwise. In addition, as an international referee at 7, I have been to Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary. I also saw during the autumn tour, the Haka of New Zealand women against England. One day, at the end of a match, a player’s wife asked me for my jersey, saying “My husband never listens to me, you do!” But the most moving thing was when I refereed my first international 7-a-side match in Andorra. My grandfather was also a referee, so I had a thought for him on our land. Besides, I wore his whistle that day.
What was your journey to become a referee?
I am 33 years old, I was born in Perpignan. After my studies in this city, I went to STAPS in Font-Romeu. I have been a professor of PE since 2012 and currently working at the Léonard de Vinci college in Tournefeuille. Former basketball player, I started rugby with the Rive-de-Gier (Loire) club and followed a tutoring with the Bourgoin club before obtaining my CAPEPS. During these two years, I got involved in the rugby school and the Femme Ovalie association. I am now a referee, licensed in the Occitanie league within the Isle-Jourdain club (Gers). It was the referee Laurent Cardona, I met during a beach rugby tournament in Marseille, who gave me the steps to follow to become one. I started this career in January 2014. I was a federal trainer for the Ile-de-France League and I am currently a federal trainer for the referees of the Gers. I refereed in university. For two years I was part of the Planète Ovale group for the Academy of Versailles in order to shed light on refereeing and I carried out the training plan for young referee officials for the UNSS 91 with another referee. I was integrated into the Rugby Europe referee panel in 2017 and World Rugby in 2019.
What arguments would you put forward to encourage young women to become referees?
Tell them that yes, it is possible one day to see a Top 14 referee. The pioneer was Christine Hanizet. We are on the cusp of changing mentalities and working together is the key to getting everything done. Today, women’s refereeing is a personal commitment, the fruit of a passion. Professionalization has appeared among men a short time ago and few of them are. For women, other nations have integrated it. In France we are starting to see the end of it with a semi-professional referee since September, Aurélie Groizeleau. It is therefore consistent in the future that there are professional female referees facing professional players.
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