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Vincent Kompany has welcomed referee Rebecca Welch\u2019s \u201cmilestone\u201d appointment and insists his Burnley players will not modify their behaviour when she takes charge of their game with Fulham.<\/p>\n
Welch will break new ground once again at Craven Cottage on Saturday, the 40-year-old from Tyne and Wear having in November become the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly a benchmark and milestone,\u201d Burnley boss Kompany said of Welch\u2019s top-flight bow in the middle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she\u2019ll take great pride in having done it herself. There\u2019s a lot of women \u2013 in general, but in the game as well specifically \u2013 who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kompany insists the attitude of his players will be the same at Fulham as if a male referee was in the middle.<\/p>\n
There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t allow it (be different) anyway, but in general it shouldn\u2019t. Whether that\u2019s a good thing or not, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in the end we want to win our games, the opposition want to win their games, and it\u2019s about the players on the pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can\u2019t see why we wouldn\u2019t have that normality.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is another landmark refereeing appointment on Boxing Day as Sam Allison will become the first black man to officiate a top-flight game in 15 years.<\/p>\n
Allison will take charge of Sheffield United\u2019s home game against Luton, following in the footsteps of Uriah Rennie who was the last black referee to take charge of a Premier League game in 2008.<\/p>\n
Asked if it was a sign of changing times in football, Kompany said: \u201cI think so. They are little milestones, but what you have to look at is not necessarily the person itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind it there is a lot of people who don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible and that they can\u2019t achieve it. By seeing those examples they will say \u2018I could be the next one or do something positive\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo give access to opportunities with dreams is important at every level of society.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I would love to see is multi-coloured and multi-ethnic boardrooms that make decisions about what we\u2019re going to discuss during the week.\u201d<\/p>\n