Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 30: When Costa Rica will play against Germany on December 1 at the Al Bayt Stadium, France’s Stephanie Frappart will make history by being the first woman in FIFA World Cup history to officiate a men’s tournament finals game.
According to a Fifa announcement on Tuesday, assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico will work alongside Frappart, who will be the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match, for the pivotal Group E encounter on Thursday.
France’s Frappart is one of three women referees among the 36 selected for the tournament in Qatar, alongside Rwandan official Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita. Three additional female officials have travelled to the World Cup as assistant referees.
However, this will not be the first time the French referee, has made history in football. Additionally, Frappart was the first female official for a Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League match.
“The men’s World Cup is the most important sporting competition in the world. I was the first referee in France and in Europe, so I know how to deal with it,” Frappart said in an official statement released by FIFA.com.
Pierluigi Collina, the head of the FIFA Referees Committee, stated of the three female referees at the World Cup, “They were not selected because they are women but as FIFA referees. They could officiate any game.”
