Stephanie Frappart becomes first female referee to officiate men’s World Cup qualifier

Frappart continues to gain due recognition for her quality in the role

Frappart becomes first female ref for a men’s World Cup qualifier (Getty Images)

Stephanie Frappart reached another milestone on Saturday when she became the first female referee to take charge of a men’s World Cup qualifier during the Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Latvia in Amsterdam.

Steven Berghuis and Luuk de Jong scored either side of halftime as the Netherlands got their 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying hopes back on track after a shock 4-2 loss to Turkey in their opening match.

Earlier in December, Frenchwoman Frappart became the first female official to take charge of a men’s Champions League match when Italian champions Juventus defeated Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 in the group stage in Turin.

She also refereed the Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea in 2019, and the Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and the Netherlands the same year.

Frappart has refereed in Ligue 1, the top domestic league in France, since 2019 and took charge of the recent Women’s Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.

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The 37-year-old will be followed in taking charge of a men’s World Cup qualifier by Kateryna Monzul, who will officiate the clash between Austria and Faroe Islands on Sunday.

Reuters