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Stephanie Frappart during last night's clash between Juventus and Dynamo Kiev. SIPA USA/PA Images
Calling the shots

'About time' - history made as Frappart becomes first female to referee men’s Champions League clash

The Frenchwoman broke more boundaries last night.

STEPHANIE FRAPPART MADE history on Wednesday after becoming the first female referee to take charge of a men’s Champions League game.

The 36-year-old Frenchwoman officiated Juventus’ 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in Turin.

“Stephanie Frappart – the first female referee on the biggest stage of European club football,” Manchester City’s Ilkay Gündogan tweeted afterwards.

“It’s about time. Great achievement and inspiration to others. Hopefully this will be a regular occurrence very soon.”

“Huge respect for reaching the biggest level of men’s club football,” Chelsea and Denmark women’s star Pernille Harder wrote. ”Well done Stephanie Frappart. A great inspiration and hopefully something we can see more of in the future.”

Frappart was already the first female referee for a major Uefa competition match when Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties in the Super Cup in Istanbul last year.

She was part of an all-female officiating team with assistants Manuela Nicolosi from Italy and Ireland’s Michelle O’Neill.

Frappart was also in charge for Leicester’s 3-0 Europa League win over Zorya Luhansk in October and the Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Holland in 2019.

In April last year she became the first female referee in Ligue 1 in France when Amiens played Strasbourg, having started her career in the third tier in 2011.

On Wednesday, Frappart handed out three yellow cards as Juve won comfortably with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 750th career goal.

She turned down Dynamo’s penalty appeals after Leonardo Bonucci appeared to have his arms around forward Benjamin Verbic.

Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata also scored for Juve, who are second in Group G – three points behind Barcelona – and have qualified for the knock-out stages.

Bernard Jackman, Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey pick up the pieces — all of them — after Ireland’s Twickenham defeat:


The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud

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