"Frappart" Is First Woman to Referee in The History of World Cup

French Stephanie Frappart entered history, Thursday, December 1, 2022, after ending a 92-year wait (since the first World Cup edition in 1930) to become the first woman to referee a match in the FIFA World Cup for men, in the match between Costa Rica and Germany in Group E.

Frappart, 38 years old, led the first all-female refereeing team in the men's World Cup in the match that was held at Al Bayt stadium, with the assistant referees Newza Pac from Brazil and Karen Diaz from Mexico.

Before the start of the World Cup, Farapart said, "We are now in the spotlight", "I have always encouraged that attention should be paid to our achievements, not our gender."

Frappart was refereeing men's matches at the age of 19 and began her international refereeing career in 2011.

Referee specialists say that from a young age she knew how to prove herself - with her formal demeanor, energetic gestures, and consistent instructions.

The 38-year-old Frenchwoman, who usually receives good reviews for her refereeing performance, says: "I'm not tall (1.64 meters) and I'm not physically strong like some of my male colleagues, but I will do my best anyway."

Choosing Frappart for the World Cup seemed like the logical next step, after her rapid rise in refereeing at the highest level in Europe.

Now, Frappart became the first woman to referee a match in the history of the World Cup, achieving a new milestone in her career, after becoming the first woman to referee a match in the men’s World Cup qualifiers in March 2022, as well as a match in the Champions League in the same year.

In the past three and a half years, Frappart has refereed a Women's World Cup final and was the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 match.

Frappart was the first woman to referee a decisive final match in men's football, the 2020 European Super Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool.

At the time, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said: “The time has come.” “I am very happy that we can be part of this historic moment.”

It is worth noting that German referee Bibiana Steinhaus is the first woman ever to referee a men's football match, in the German Bundesliga in 2017, in the match that brought together Hertha Berlin and its guest Werder Bremen at the Olympic Stadium in the German capital, Berlin.