Soccer is no longer just a man's thing. But this statement is not only due to the increasingly emerging women's football, but also because of the emergence of women within the male category. The proof of this is Stéphanie Frappart, the French referee who is breaking all glass ceilings and being a reference for future generations of girls who can dream without complexes of being the protagonist of a Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup and World Cup final. To achieve this, it will only be enough to be the best referee, regardless of gender.
Stéphanie Frappart (Oise Valley, France, 1983) took her first steps in soccer as a player soccer. He did it at AS Herblay. It wasn't until the age of 13 that she first tried braiding. “Since she was a child she had a vocation for arbitration,” Frappart admitted to L'Equipe, where she also revealed that part of the fault was had by two of her brothers, who also worked as braids. She was able to maintain the role of footballer and referee until she started her physical activity and sports science stadiums. At that moment he found himself in the dilemma of betting to continue on the grass kicking the ball or whistling. “You have to be very passionate to stay in refereeing when you are insulted every weekend at the lowest levels. I was stubborn as a mule and I have always lived in a boy's world”, Frappart supports.
And that's how he bet on his dream and his vocation. Being an arbitrator despite the fact that there were hardly any female referents in that union and despite the fact that they had never been at the top. She continued her path, ascending categories while having as references the Swiss collegiate Nicole Petignat, the first woman to whistle in the UEFA Cup (2003), and the German Bibiana Steinhauss, the first female braid to reach the first division of one of the greats suspenders. Followed in his footsteps and in 2010 he managed to be professional and in 2011 international. Since then, she has been gaining prominence in UEFA and FIFA competitions in the women's category: she directed the 2012 Under-19 European matches and the 2015 World Cup in Canada.. In 2018 she had the opportunity to direct the final of the Women's U19 World Cup in which the Japanese team won over Spain and in 2019 she would be able to whistle the final of the Women's World Cup between the United States and the Netherlands.
Success in men's soccer
Outside of men's soccer, he also managed to climb categories from before. In 2014 he managed to reach Ligue 2, the French second division, and in April 2019 she was designated for the duel between Amiens and Strasbourg in Ligue 1, becoming the first woman to whistle a match in the highest category of French football. For the following season, 2019-20, she would already be a regular in Ligue 1 after completing her promotion. That was one of his great achievements in a “man's world”, as Frappart herself would say. But his quality in the world of refereeing did not matter the sex and the unprecedentedness of seeing a woman whistling in Europe. Thus, UEFA decided that she, due to her qualities as a braid and after her great performance in the Women's World Cup, was the ideal one so that in August 2019 she would be the first woman to whistle a final of the European Super Cup. She did it in a duel between Chelsea and Liverpool and surpassed it with flying colors despite the great expectation and pressure that existed on her. “There was so much pressure for this historic moment… He kept calm and did what he wanted, what he had to do. I couldn't have more respect for Stépphanie Frappart”, admitted Klopp, coach net, after the game.
Roberto Rosetti, the chief referee at UEFA, expressed his satisfaction with Frappart's presence in finals such as the European Super Cup: “If he inspires thousands of women to follow his path, UEFA will be happy.” Turkish Çakir, one of the best braids in Europe, highlighted the figure of women within his guild: “We have done many training sessions together, men and women, we do the same physical tests. They are really brave and do not have fear of making unpopular decisions. ” And even Ceferín, president of UEFA, expressed his satisfaction with the achievement that Frappart's presence represented for women: “I hope that Stéphanie's example will inspire millions of girls and women across Europe and show them that there should be no barriers to achieving their dreams“.
But, despite the greatness of that moment, and that it seemed that it had already reached the ceiling, the thing did not stop there. Frappart continues to make history, breaking the glass ceiling and proving that it is among the best referees in Europe. In 2019 she was named by the IFFHS as the best referee in the world and at the start of this 2020-21 season it has achieved various milestones. On September 6 the Malta-Latvia of the Nations League whistled, being the first woman to whistle an international men's meeting and in October the UEFA appointed her to Leicester-Zorya Loujansk and Granada-Omonia in the Europa League. Now, she continues to make her career bigger, as UEFA has chosen her to whistle Juventus-Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League tomorrow, Wednesday. She will be the first woman to do so in the top European competition. One more milestone, another glass ceiling that breaks, but not the last thing he will achieve. Sthépanie Frappart will continue to make history, it has shown that women also have a place in men's football. And it has shown millions of girls that they can do it too.