Paris (AFP)
France's Stéphanie Frappart will become the first referee of a major men's match on August 14 in the European Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea in Istanbul, UEFA announced on Friday.
First woman to be promoted in Ligue 1, after five seasons in the second division, Stephanie Frappart had already led the final of the World Cup-2019 between the United States and the Netherlands.
The 35-year-old Frenchwoman will be assisted by two other women, her compatriot Manuela Nicolosi and Ireland's Michelle O'Neill. The fourth official referee will be a man, the Turkish Cuneyt Cakir.
This referee is a pioneer in France. First woman to lead men's matches in Ligue 2, she will join the elite next season in Ligue 1.
In April, she had already become the first female referee to lead a L1 match, a draw between Amiens and Strasbourg (0-0), then Nice-Nantes (1-1) in May.
"Stéphanie Frappart has been proving for many years that she is one of the best female referees not only on the European scene but also on a global scale," said Roberto Rosetti, chief referee in charge of the sport. UEFA.
"She is capable of leading very high level matches, as she proved in the Women's World Cup final this year, and I hope that this match in Istanbul will bring her even more experience. 'she is at the top of her arbitration career,' he added.
Since her L2 debut in 2014, Frappart has been part of the world's women's refereeing arena, in the footsteps of Bibiana Steinhaus, the first woman to lead a Bundesliga match, and those of Nelly Viennot, who officiated in the first division. but from the edge of the touch, as assistant referee.
"One of my roles is also to create vocations by making the girls want to start the arbitration, I take it to heart because I think I opened doors", confided she told AFP last winter.
However, she is not the first woman to referee a UEFA men's match: Switzerland's Nicole Petignat was whistling for three UEFA Cup qualifier matches between 2004 and 2009.
© 2019 AFP