First World Cup referee: Stéphanie Frappart writes history in the Germany game

Dhe words could hardly sound bigger. “Historical” is what the French trade journal L’Équipe called it. “This is where history is made,” FIFA tweeted. “What a milestone,” said ex-referee Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb. The sounds in the direction of Stéphanie Frappart are similar and the expectations should hardly decrease as a result when the Frenchwoman is the first woman to whistle a World Cup game in the evening (8 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker). “The colleagues are of course under great observation and great pressure, they are now being eyed all over the world,” estimates Steinhaus-Webb.

The German team will also be on the pitch for this small piece of sports history and will play against Costa Rica in the trend-setting group game for a place in the round of 16. Those responsible for Hansi Flick are not worried about the appointment. “One hundred percent” he trusts her, said the national coach about the referee. “For me it’s the most normal thing in the world,” added Lukas Klostermann. And Steinhaus-Webb also tried to take away the sensationalism a little. “Female referees have been a natural part of the weekend scene in Germany for years,” explained the former top referee.

However, that is not entirely true. Steinhaus-Webb herself was the first Bundesliga referee to set an example in 2017. Since the end of her career in September 2020, however, there have been hardly any hopeful young women in men’s football. dr Riem Hussein is the only one who regularly collected playing time in the professional field – but only in the 3rd division – until the end of last season. The top referees are mainly used in the women’s Bundesliga and women’s Champions League.

Frappart now proves that things are different, at least internationally, and that the place on the really big stage is ready. Her nomination comes as no surprise. The 38-year-old is the best in her field and has come with the experience of several premieres. She was the first referee to officiate a Uefa men’s final (Supercup between Liverpool – Chelsea in August 2019), the first referee to officiate a Champions League match (Juventus – Dynamo Kyiv in December 2020), the first in the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers. More history is not possible.

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The reactions to their first appearance in the biggest tournament in the football cosmos are positive in Germany. “It’s not a surprise for me,” said Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult. And the former national player and current ARD expert Sami Khedira is “a huge fan that women with performance are also gaining a foothold in men’s football”.

Urs Meier would not have nominated Frappart

And yet there were also doubts about Frappart’s nomination. A look at social media revealed that acceptance and equality have by no means reached all fans. And there was also initial criticism from an expert. “I know very well: I have 30 referees in Europe who are much stronger than Frappart: Yes, I won’t take the number 31 or 32 with me if I can only nominate twelve European referees,” said Urs Meier before the start of the tournament told his podcast. In the meantime, the former Swiss referee has revised his words. “She’s not a bad choice. It’s not about man or woman, it’s about performance,” he said recently to the “ran” portal. Frappart has shown that she can referee difficult games in Ligue 1.

Recently, however, skepticism had arisen about Frappart’s chances of use. While other referees, such as Germany’s Daniel Siebert, referee their second game on the third day of the group match, the three nominated women have so far come away empty-handed and have only been used as fourth officials. The women at this tournament in Qatar have so far been treated more like decorative accessories, although Fifa chief referee Pierluigi Collina emphasized that they are “ready for every game”.

Six out of 129 (4.7 percent) of FIFA’s nominated referees, assistants and video officials are women. The Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita and Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda are also scheduled to be the main referees. On the evening that Frappart makes history, the two will be in action at other stadiums, but again on the sidelines. Yamashita is the fourth official for the Canada-Morocco game (4 p.m.), Mukansange for Japan-Spain (8 p.m.). It will be a while before mid-pitch bets become the norm. Frappart is the first.

These referees caused a sensation in men’s football

Stephanie Frappart: The Frenchwoman from a small town north-west of Paris has been a referee since she was 13 and played soccer herself at the same time. At the beginning of her studies, she concentrated on working on the whistle and in 2019 rose to Ligue 1 – the highest male division in her home country. In addition to the international successes already mentioned, she officiated the French Cup final at national level this year.

Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb: The police chief inspector from Lower Saxony is the first and so far only referee to referee games in the Bundesliga. After making her second division debut in 2007, ten years later Steinhaus-Webb was the first woman to be nominated for the top flight by the German Football Association. It celebrated its premiere on September 10, 2017 in the game between Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen. She had the last assignment of her career in September 2020 in the Supercup between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Riem Hussein: The 42-year-old was most recently the only referee to officiate higher-level men’s football games in Germany. From the 2015/16 season until the end of last season, she played regularly in the 3rd division. However, it was never enough for the pharmacist from Bad Harzburg to make the leap into the professional field.

Kateryna Monsul: Like Frappart and Steinhaus-Webb, the Ukrainian is one of the pioneers for female referees in men’s football. In April 2016, the 41-year-old took charge of her first game in the Ukrainian Premier League. In 2021, Monsul was the second woman to play in the duel between Austria and the Faroe Islands in the World Cup qualifier – one day after Frappart.

Gertrude Gebhard: She is considered a pioneer in German refereeing. Under her maiden name Regus, the 60-year-old was the first referee in a women’s international match in 1991, and in 1995 she was the first woman to serve as a linesman in the Bundesliga. In 1997 she fell out with the DFB and resigned.