French football referee Stephanie Frappart will officiate a men's Champions League game on Wednesday. The match is scheduled between Juventus and Dynamo Kyi in Turin, European football's governing body UEFA confirmed. With this feat, Frappart is set to become the first woman to officiate a Champions League match.
Encouraging young girls
36-year-old Frappart has already made history as the first woman to officiate a major UEFA men’s showpiece event last year. She also refereed the 2019 Women's World Cup final between the United States and Netherlands in July, and last season became the first female to officiate a League 1 match. The French referee oversaw her first Europa League game in October when Leicester City hosted Zorya Luhansk.
This was, however, not the first time a woman has refereed a men’s UEFA competition match. Switzerland’s Nicole Petignat became the first woman to officiate in the UEFA Cup in 2003 and officiated three UEFA Cup matches between 2004 and 2009. Germany’s Bibiana Steinhaus became the first female referee in one of the top European leagues during a Bundesliga match between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen in September 2017. "It is at the same time a privilege, an honour and a responsibility," Frappart said before her first full season at the top in the season which was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. "I hope that my career will encourage young girls to become involved in refereeing," she inspired.
Stephanie Frappart: Achievements
- First female referee in UEFA Super Cup
- First female referee in Europa League
- First female referee in men's Champions League
Also Read: Meet the women footballers who would give the men a run for their money
Speaking ahead of the Super Cup last year, Frappart had said, "I think there is not a lot of difference because football is the same.” Talking about the development of women’s football in all areas, she reflected, "For me it is the same because refereeing is the same. Football is the same, there are the same rules so I will referee the same as in women leagues.”
Feature Image Credit: RFI
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