“I am not for quotas”: football referee Stéphanie Frappart favors skills over parity

Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin 8:04 p.m., February 16, 2023

Today recognized worldwide, the football referee Stéphanie Frappart exclusively revealed the secrets of her success in the

.

Considered one of the best referees at the international level, the latter did not hide her personal investment in reaching such a level.

In December 2022, she became the first woman to referee a match in the final phase of the men's World Cup. 

At the microphone of Jacques Vendroux, Stéphanie Frappart admitted to being against quotas.

In a societal context where parity is privileged in the workforce, Stéphanie Frappart assumes to reject this idea.

The one who does not consider herself "not a feminist" is not "to have more women if they do not have the skills."

The football referee, on the other hand, wants "that we can give women a chance to be able to show that they have qualities."

A philosophy that perfectly matches the values ​​embodied by Stéphanie Frappart: hard work, rigor and perseverance.

>> READ ALSO

- "There is an emergency": Éric Borghini, member of the Comex, calls on Noël Le Graët to resign

A childhood vocation

It was at the age of ten that Stéphanie Frappart decided to take up the whistle.

So in club, the curiosity of the young player pushes her to immerse herself in the rules of football.

"I wanted to learn the rules, understand the essence of football. That's when I decided to go to my district. I did theoretical training and started refereeing “, traces the 39-year-old professional referee.

And it works.

As a teenager, the career of the future "queen of arbitration" takes shape.

"I found myself immediately in matches of youngsters and chicks on 7-a-side football. I was immediately at the heart of the game and I liked it", recalls the one who was elected best referee in the world in the women's category in 2019 and 2020.

>> READ ALSO

- FFF: what to remember from the summary of the audit mission targeting Noël Le Graët

Kindness

Passionate, work pays off for Stéphanie Frappart who then quickly rises through the ranks.

"I went through all levels, from CFA 2 (currently National 3), CFA (currently National 2) then Ligue 2" where she officiated for five seasons.

And then, "Ligue 1 opened up naturally", she recalls, during a Strasbourg-Amiens.

It was Sunday, April 28, 2019. Stéphanie Frappart was then 35 years old.

She becomes the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 match.

"This is where it changed in terms of notoriety. Ligue 1 is light", assures the one who grew up in Plessis-Bouchard in Val-d'Oise.

A change of course and notoriety for the one who initially made refereeing a passion.

The consecration comes when she is appointed, last winter, referee of a final phase match during the 2022 World Cup. A consecration for the one whose "objective is to have fun on the ground."

>> DISCOVER HERE

- "It's a waking dream": Kombouaré impatient to face Juventus with FC Nantes in the Europa League

Responsibilities

"People's outlook has changed, but it's still benevolence," says Stéphanie Frappart.

But this does not mean that she forgets her responsibilities and her rigor that have made her evolve to such a level.

"We have 400-500 decisions in a match, because when we don't decide, it's still a decision. As soon as we enter the field, we know that we are going to decide a lot of things. Refereeing is both to be focused but also to be mentally very strong because we find ourselves in situations that are not easy to manage", analyzes the professional referee.

Responsibilities, Stéphanie Frappart will have them during the Marseille-Toulouse match on Sunday evening.

An important match for the rest of the OM season and which will be broadcast live and in full on

(every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.).