Having taken charge of the UEFA Super Cup in 2019, Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to officiate a Champions League match.
Stephanie Frappart has been appointed as the referee for Juventus’ clash with Dynamo Kiev, making the French official the first woman to oversee a Champions League match.
Frappart refereed the 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and the Netherlands, before going on to take charge of Liverpool’s meeting with Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup.
Speaking ahead of the Super Cup, Frappart was asked about the difference between taking charge of men’s and women’s matches.
“I think there is not a lot of difference because football is the same,” She said. “For me it is the same because refereeing is the same. Football is the same, there are the same rules so I will referee the same as in women leagues.”
In taking charge of the Super Cup match, It made her the first woman to officiate a game in a major UEFA men’s competition, and now the 36-year-old – a regular Ligue 1 referee – is set to make history once again.
Juve face Kiev in Turin on Wednesday, with progress to the last 16 already secured for Andrea Pirlo’s side.
The Turin giants are second in Group G with nine points from four games, eight clear of Dynamo Kiev and three behind Barcelona, who face Ferencvaros – also on Wednesday.
Frappart refereed her first Europa League fixture in October, when Leicester City took on Zorya Luhansk at the King Power Stadium, and last week ran the rule over Granada against Omonoia Nicosia.
Following the Super Cup clash in Istanbul last year, which Liverpool won 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp hailed the performance of Frappart and her all-female team of officials.
“I spoke to the refereeing team after the game [and said] that if we would have played like they whistled, then we would have won 6-0,” Klopp told reporters.
“They played a brilliant game. They were good, they were really good. There was pressure on them like hell. It was an historic moment and they stayed themselves, stayed calm and did what they had to do in a very difficult and intense game.
“I couldn’t have more respect, it was a really brilliant performance.”
