The French Stéphanie Frappart will be the first woman to referee a match of the men’s World Cup, on Thursday at the Al Bayt stadium in Qatar-2022, in the group E duel between Germany and Costa Rica, FIFA announced Tuesday.
Source: AFP
frappart is one of the three women included in the list of 36 main referees of this World Cup. The other two are the Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and the Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita, while three other women are part of the line judges list.
At 38, the World Cup Qatar-2022 supposes the logical continuation of a brilliant ascent in the career of Stephanie Frappart.
Was the first woman refereeing in the French second division (2014) and then in the first category -Ligue 1- for men (2019). He also the first in the European Super Cup (August 2019), in the Champions League (December 2020) and in the French Cup final (on May 7). On Thursday, in Qatar, will continue to make history.
Before assuming the work of main referee in the Germany-Costa RicaFrappart had officiated as fourth referee in two matches of this World Cup, in Mexico-Poland and Portugal-Ghana.
“The message I have given them is that they are not here because they are women, but because they are FIFA referees,” the Italian explained at the start of the tournament. Pierluigi Collinapresident of the Commission of Referees of the world instance.
“His appointment is the result of a long process started several years agowhich began with the appointment of women in certain FIFA senior and youth men’s competitions,” he said, hoping “that in the future the presence of women referees in high-level men’s competitions will be considered the rule, rather than the norm. exception”.
Finding a woman leading a men’s party at the top level is a recent phenomenon and unusual.
In the big European leagues, the pioneer was the German Bibiana Steinhausthe first woman in the Bundesliga elite, between 2017 and 2021. In September 2017, at a Hertha Berlin-Werder Bremen, she was the first woman in football history to direct a professional category first division match in Europe .
