Paris (AFP)

"Small voice" but great "diplomat", Stéphanie Frappart continues to show the way for women referees: the Frenchwoman will become the first woman to be an officer during a men's football Euro (June 11-July 11), for which she has was selected as the fourth arbitrator.

This participation in the European Nations Championship is a new milestone for this talented and charismatic 37-year-old pioneer, who climbs the ranks at top speed: first woman on the whistle in the French second division (2014) then in men's Ligue 1 (2019) , first woman to lead the European Supercup in August 2019 then first woman to officiate in the Champions League last December ...

And here it is now at the Euro, organized in eleven countries of the continent, after having already been on the whistle during the women's tournament in 2017 or during the Ladies' World Cup-2019 organized in France.

"It's a great development, a recognition of my qualities and my skills. It's my line of conduct from the start, I am chosen for my skills and not my gender", commented the Francilienne last week during the '' a meeting with the press at the headquarters of the French Federation (FFF).

In L1, Frappart is unanimous: it has attracted the praise of the players in the game, whether they are on the field or on the sidelines.

“She has a lot of diplomacy,” said Lille coach Christophe Galtier after his debut in L1, in 2019. “She just needs a look, a smile, a gesture ... and it stops. "

"She has a small voice but she has charisma, personality", had described the midfielder Pierre Bouby, who worked with her in L2 with Orléans.

"She uses the right words, she explains, she is a diplomat and we can discuss with her."

- "Promoting vocations" -

"She is a locomotive for women's refereeing, and an exceptional woman," said AFP the president of the Federal Referees Commission, Eric Borghini.

The manager describes her as "a woman of an impressive calm and serenity. You do not destabilize her, she has an incredible maturity".

Her way of refereeing, with diplomacy and firmness, is also praised, in particular by Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool coach, who complimented her after the European Supercup in 2019.

A year later, during Juventus Turin-Dynamo Kiev (3-0) in December 2020, she became the first woman to officiate as the main referee of a Champions League match, and her performance tonight- there, under control, had been applauded by the press.

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At the Euro, it will be on the edge of the field, as close as possible to the coaches, and should only come into play in the event of an injury to the head referee.

But her selection for the big continental meeting already makes her an example, a figure of European football with growing notoriety.

- "Humble" -

"I took into account the fact that my presence would always be an event," she says.

"In the street, I get called quite often, but it's always kind. People want a photo or an autograph, but I always respond cordially."

Seeing no "difference between a man and a woman", Frappart congratulated himself that the Federation had not adapted its re-entry checks to women for the resumption course at Clairefontaine.

You have to pass "the same physical tests as the boys", because "the players do not go slower when I referee, so the requirements must not be less", she noted.

Former player of AS Herblay in the Paris region, Stéphanie Frappart has refereed since she was 13 years old.

She scoured the stadiums of the French second division for five seasons before being promoted in the summer of 2019 to Ligue 1, which no other main referee had managed to do until then.

If she is not the very first, she is among the pioneers, such as the Swiss Nicole Petignat, first woman to officiate in the UEFA Cup in 2003, or the German Bibiana Steinhaus, first woman referee in a major European championship. .

These pioneers could give ideas to other future referees.

"It is part of my role to encourage vocations. It is a real pleasure to show that it is possible. Now, we will be able to see women referees on TV, it is a source of pride," commented Stéphanie Frappart.

"We have 4% of women in French arbitration," recalls Eric Borghini.

"It is emblematic, it can make a young person who wants to do arbitration dream," he concludes.

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© 2021 AFP