The match for the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul turned out to be historic for several reasons at once. Firstly, earlier two English teams had never challenged this trophy in the full-time confrontation, and secondly, meetings of this caliber were never served by female referees. The first such honor was awarded to the Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappar, who did an excellent job and left an exceptionally good impression on herself.
In recent years, attracting female judges to serve matches at major national championships has become common practice. For a long time, the name of Bibiana Steinhaus, which only in the last season of the Bundesliga worked at seven meetings, has been rumored. Claudia Romani is widely known in Italy, and Fernanda Colombo in Brazil. However, in European competitions, the fairer sexes have never played the role of chief referees, and the game for the UEFA Super Cup may become the starting point for all women's football.
It is worth noting that the appointment of Frappar was a rather risky step, because on her example the football community evaluated not only the qualifications of Stephanie herself, but also all the women referees as a class. Of course, the aforementioned Steinhaus and Colombo have solid experience working in local championships, but serving a meeting between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League is a completely different level of responsibility. In the event of a judicial scandal or the adoption of a controversial decision, the Frenchwoman could easily question the professional suitability of her colleagues and postpone the date of the next such experiment.
However, the result exceeded all expectations. Frappar performed a great match and practically made no mistakes, despite the fact that the teams got to the penalty shoot-out. She amazed with her calmness and ability to calmly make even the most difficult decisions. Stephanie did not miss a thread of the game for a second and perfectly controlled everything that was happening on the field. Perhaps this is what contributed to the lack of rudeness during the game, for which the referee showed only three yellow cards.
At the same time, it is worth noting separately the changes in the behavior of football players on the field. The players of Liverpool and Chelsea did not allow themselves rudeness towards the referee, despite the fact that this often happens during such confrontations. Perhaps the only tense moment arose in the 79th minute, when the captain of the “aristocrats” Cesar Aspilicueta got a “mustard” for a foul on Sadio Mane. The Spaniard was extremely dissatisfied with the decision of Frappar and at first spoke with her rather aggressively. However, he calmed down in time and hid his hands, after which he behaved more respectfully.
Indicative is the moment with the appointment of an 11-meter goal at Liverpool. Such decisions of the chief referee are doomed to cause a storm of emotions on the part of the players, but this time such a verdict was accepted quite calmly. And this is considering that this episode was the only controversial in the whole meeting, and Jurgen Klopp's wards really had every reason to disagree. So, even a video replay does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether Adrian touched Tammy Abraham's legs.
However, after the meeting, the Spanish gatekeeper admitted that he had touched Abraham's foot, thereby confirming the correctness of the Frappar verdict. True, Adrian also added that the Chelsea striker deliberately went on a foul, but this does not cancel the contact.
At the same time, an important factor in the successful work of Frappar was the help from the side referees. Manuel Nicolosi and Michelle O'Neill brilliantly met and also did not deserve any complaints. Women repeatedly very accurately determined their offside position, and the VAR system helped them in the remaining episodes.
It is not surprising that after the final whistle, many hastened to express respect to Frappar and her team. So, the mentor of Liverpool Jurgen Klopp noted the confident refereeing of the Frenchwoman, and the ex-midfielder of Chelsea Joe Cole was delighted and skill.
“Frappar was great in the match, which turned out to be really difficult. She acted amazingly and did not disrupt the game, in most of the main episodes she made the right decision, ”BT Sport quoted Cole as saying.
Another ex-blue footballer Glenn Hoddle agreed with him. He noted that the speeds in men's and women's football are different, but Frappar was in time for the players and judged at a high level.
Appreciated the work of the Frenchwoman and the famous English referee Mark Clattenburg. He was also impressed with how Frappar managed to adapt to the speed of the Premier League teams.
“Frappard already worked at the highest men's level in France, but this match was notable for the tension characteristic of the Premier League. This was the first time that a woman was the referee at the major finals between the men's teams - and if it had not been such a big story, no one would have noticed. Even given the controversial moment from the penalty spot, which was assigned to the goal of “Liverpool” in extra time ", - quoted the Clattenburg Daily Mail.
According to the arbiter, from his position Frappar might have seemed that Adrian grabbed Abraham by the leg.
“From a different angle, the contact is hardly noticeable. I think it should have been a goal kick. Someone will be surprised why VAR specialists did not intervene in the situation. They did not consider this an obvious mistake, ”said the judge.
According to Clattenburg, the Frappard team has proven that you can become a quality arbiter regardless of gender.
In addition to officials, the fans appreciated the work of the French. So, many users left comments on social networks, recognizing as an exemplary meeting service for the UEFA Super Cup.
“The panel of judges was great. Not a single mistake, ”one of the fans wrote.
Another fan noted the fact that Frappar practically did not allow herself extra whistles, as a result of which the game looked extremely dynamic and lively. And another admitted that he did not expect such an ideal refereeing from Stephanie, and expressed a desire to see women's teams more often at such matches.
“I hope we see more female referees. A big step towards a more diverse and equal game, ”said the fan.