Stéphanie Frappart, Champions referee

Stéphanie Frappart (Herblay, France, 36 years old) continues to break records in the world of European arbitration.

If it has already gone down in history as the first woman to referee a Europa League duel, Leicester-Zorya from the group stage of this competition will now make their debut in the Champions League by directing Juventus-Dinamo Kiev from this Wednesday.

Used to being the

the arbitration world, Frappart continues to break down barriers.

In the track record of this pioneer, the leadership of the final of the European Super Cup in 2019 between Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as 18 games in Ligue 1, three in the Europa League (including Granada-Omonia from the past). week), nine from the French Cup and two from the French League Cup in men's competitions.

"Stéphanie has shown over the years that he is one of the best referees, not only in Europe, but in the whole world," said Roberto Rosetti, UEFA's chief referee, the day before Frappart directed the final. of the European Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea in 2019. Liverpool won on penalties and the Frenchwoman's performance resulted in a high approval, being praised, among others, by Jürgen Kloop, coach of the northern team England.

Many millions of viewers laid their eyes on her.

"There's no difference;

football is the same.

It is the teams that play differently, but it is the same game for men and women.

For me as a referee it is the same.

It is not my first meeting and I feel prepared, "she told the official UEFA media just before that final with which she became known to the world.

In that 2019 special, Frappart had also directed the final of the Women's World Cup in France, with the United States winning by defeating the Netherlands 2-0.

His rise was meteoric since three months after his debut in the French League he acquired the category of international collegiate.

The duel between Juventus and Dinamo Kiev is another step in Frappart's brilliant career, still ahead of him at 36 years of age.

The Frenchwoman decided to start her career in 1997 at the age of 13 to teach refereeing classes and soak up the football regulations while practicing this sport at Pierrelaye and Val-d'Oise.

In 2011 he turned professional and on April 28, 2019 he led his first Ligue 1 match, a clash where Amiens and Strasbourg drew 0-0.

Since then, his record has grown by directing more matches in Ligue 1, the French Cup and the French League Cup.

This season, Frappart has already managed 11 meetings.

Five from Ligue 1 (one Lyon-Marseille among them), two from Ligue 2, two from the Europa League, one from the Nations League and one more from this competition.

“In France, they have been the first to give women options in the world of refereeing.

They work very well at the base of the arbitration collective.

Frappart is undoubtedly the best referee in the world and directed the final of the 2019 Women's World Cup. She refereed Leicester-Zorya and Granada-Omonia with good marks.

She is perfectly capable of directing this Champions League match ”, clarifies Luis Alberto Gutiérrez, assistant international referee between 2001 and 2009 alongside Luis Medina Cantalejo from Seville and referee analyst for Canal Sur.

“He is young and has a long way to go.

For putting a defect, I think that in the game against Granada he abused the cards in a game that did not deserve so much yellow, "he concludes.

Frappart has not been the first woman to referee Europa League matches.

That honor went to Nicole Petignat, who led UEFA Cup qualifying matches between 2004 and 2009. The path that Germany's Bibiana Steinhaus began widens for the benefit of football.

Steinhaus retired last month after directing the Super Cup final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund with 23 Bundesliga games under his belt.

Along with Frappart, the figure of Guadalupe Porras also emerges in Spain, the first Spanish woman to be part of a refereeing team in an international men's competition.

It was in the Europa League as Xavier Estrada Fernández's assistant in the match between Lask and Ludogorets.