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France’s Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a match at the men’s World Cup after being selected to take charge of Thursday’s clash between Germany and Costa Rica.
The 38-year-old will lead an all-female squad onto the pitch for the Group E match at Al Bayt Stadium, along with Brazil’s Neuza Back and the Mexican Karen Diaz Medina chosen as assistant.
Frappart has already made tournament history, having become the first female official in a men’s World Cup game when she was fourth official for Mexico’s goalless draw with Poland last Tuesday.
FIFA has named three female referees to its list of 36 for the competition, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita also in Qatar.
The French official has already written her name in the history books. In March 2021, she became the first female referee to take charge of a men’s World Cup qualifier as the Netherlands beat Latvia 2-0 in Amsterdam.
In December 2020, she became the first female official to take charge of a men’s Champions League game when Italian champions Juventus beat 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 United States and the Netherlands in the same year.
Before the tournament started, Frappart said she hoped the inclusion of female referees in Qatar would “shake things up” on a broader level. “It’s a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have female referees in this country,” she said.
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