Katriina Elovirta facts for kids
Elovirta in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 February 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | Iisalmi, Finland | ||
| Date of death | 19 June 2018 (aged 57) | ||
| Place of death | Espoo, Finland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Helsinki United | |||
| International career | |||
| Finland | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Katriina Elovirta (born February 15, 1961 – died June 19, 2018) was a well-known Finnish football player and a famous international referee. She was a referee for FIFA, the world football organization, from 1995 to 2003. Katriina also worked as a development manager for the Finnish Football Association. She passed away at 57 years old after a long illness.
Katriina Elovirta's Football Career
Playing for Her Country
Katriina Elovirta was a skilled midfielder. She played in 9 international matches for the Finnish national team. She was also a key player for the Helsinki United club team. In 1990, her team won their first Finnish Women's Cup title. They beat FC Kontu 3–2 in an exciting final match.
Becoming a Top Referee
After she stopped playing international football, Katriina became a match referee in 1991. She refereed many important women's football championships. These included the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also worked at the UEFA Women's Euro 1997 and UEFA Women's Euro 2001.
Katriina was also an official at the 2001-02 UEFA Women's Cup matches. She notably served as a match official in the final games of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final and the 2002 UEFA Women's Cup Final. In 2005, FIFA chose her as one of five women instructors for their technical group. This showed how respected she was in the world of football.
