Amsterdam (AFP)
France's Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a qualifying match for a Men's World Cup, leading the match between the Netherlands and Latvia on Saturday at the Arena Johan-Cruyff in Amsterdam.
"Stéphanie Frappart a little more in history! Congratulations on becoming the first woman to referee a men's World Cup qualifying match," tweeted Fifa.
At 37, the French Stéphanie Frappart is climbing the ranks of arbitration at full speed.
By refereeing Juventus Turin-Dynamo Kiev (3-0) at the beginning of last December, she had become the first woman to officiate in the Champions League, and her performance that evening, mastered, had been hailed by the press.
Before the C1, Frappart had already been entrusted with the European Supercup of August 2019 between Liverpool and Chelsea, after having been the first woman at the whistle in the French second division (2014) then in the men's Ligue 1 (2019), where she had refereed her first Lyon-Marseille shock at the beginning of October.
In September 2020, she had already refereed Latvia, against Malta, in a match counting for the League of Nations.
"It is at the same time a privilege, an honor and a responsibility. I hope that my career will encourage young girls to engage in arbitration", said Stéphanie Frappart in the summer of 2019 at the dawn of his first full season in the elite - finally interrupted by the coronavirus in March.
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