French referee Stephanie Frappart made history when officiating Germany's 4-2 group stage win over Costa Rica at the FIFA World Cup.
It marked the first time in men's World Cup history, a woman has taken to the field as referee. Frappart headed an all female team with assistants Brazil's Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina, as they oversaw a six-goal thriller in the Al Bayt Stadium.
Germany won after goals from Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz twice and Substitute Niclas Fullkrug although Japan's controversial 2-1 victory against Spain meant they crashed out of the tournament despite the win. Frappart did have to consult VAR for the final German goal, but had an otherwise quiet night and let an entertaining end-to-end game flow.
The French official had already become the the first female to serve as a fourth official at a men's World Cup in the goalless draw between Mexico and Poland earlier in the competition. But Thursday night's clash was the first time in the tournament's 92-year history that a woman had taken charge.
Ahead of the game, which saw Germany eliminated at the group stage for the second straight tournament despite a thrilling second-half fightback, Ms Frappart said: "I'm really going to head into this with enormous emotion.
"But you have to channel that because clearly the important thing is the pitch. I think I'll have everything that's around me in mind, and the aim will still be the same, that is the referee according to the performance on the pitch."
FIFA had already tweeted ahead of the Group E clash to describe the occasion as "history in the making." The Frenchwoman has already made history previously, officiating a men’s World Cup qualifier in March, and a men’s Champions League game in 2020.
Frappart isn't the only female referee included in FIFA's pool of World Cup officials, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan's Yamashita Yoshimi also included for Qatar. Frappart’s name has been on FIFA's recognised list of referees since 2009 and the milestones that litter her CV are numerous.
From refereeing matches in the third division of men’s football in France in 2011, three years on, Frappart became the first woman to referee in Ligue 2 and eventually the first female referee in Ligue 1 by April 2019, her debut match arriving in the form of SC Amiens versus RC Strasbourg. Prior to the tournament starting in Qatar, Frappart said she hoped the inclusion of female referees throughout the competition would "make things happen" on a broader level.
"It’s a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have women referees in that country," she said.
The Premier League has yet to see a female referee take charge of a game.
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