Stephanie Frappart will referee Juventus‘ Champions League fixture against Dynamo Kyiv – becoming the first woman in the history of the competition to officiate a match.
Stephanie Frappart First Female Referee in Champions League’s 28-Year History
Frappart Previously Officiated Men’s 2019 UEFA Super Cup Final
It’s not the first time Frappart has made history. She became the first woman to oversee a major men’s European match in last year’s UEFA Super Cup Final between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Speaking ahead of that game, Frappart was clearly aware of what her appointment meant for the bigger picture in terms of gender equality within football.
She said: “I think there is not a lot of difference [in refereeing a men’s game and a woman’s game] because football is the same.
“Only teams play differently but as a man or a woman, we cannot referee the same game between women and men. 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.
“We have to prove physically, technically and tactically that we have the same [capabilities] as the men. I was also appointed [as a referee] in Ligue 1 in France so I know the feeling, the strategy and my emotions. I know how to keep them and how I trained for that.”
Indeed, the 36-year-old has extensive experience in officiating on the biggest of stages. Frappart refereed the 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and the Netherlands.
She also became the first female referee to take charge of a French Ligue 1 match when Amiens played Strasbourg last year.
Her first Europa League game came earlier this season, when Leicester City played Zorya Luhansk.
Juventus have already qualified for the last 16 and are second in Group G with nine points from four games. They are three points behind Barcelona, who face Hungarian side Ferencvaros on Wednesday.
Main Photo
