This year’s World Cup in Qatar will go down in history, but for all the wrong reasons.
The tournament has been wracked with controversy, with supporters unable to bring LGBTQ+ symbols into stadiums and Iran’s female fans expressing fears about being spied on.
Add the horrific amount of migrant worker deaths in the run-up to the World Cup, with The Guardian putting the figure of lives lost at around 6,500, and it becomes impossible to “focus on the football”.
There have been a few moments to smile about, however, and one woman in particular has made the tournament memorable in a positive way.
Stéphanie Frappart will make history as the first woman to referee a match at the men’s World Cup, and she will lead an all-female officiating team to do so.
Joined by assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Díaz Medina, Frappart will take charge of Germany’s crucial Group E clash against Costa Rica tomorrow.
The 38-year-old had already set a new milestone this World Cup, acting as the fourth official during Mexico’s goalless draw with Poland in Group C.
It would be easy to dismiss Frappart’s inclusion as easy PR for FIFA, but the decision to name her as the referee for Germany’s match against Costa Rica will be a game-changing moment for all of football.
How can Stéphanie Frappart change football forever?
Prior to the World Cup, Frappart told BBC Sport that she was “aware of the pressure” on the tournament’s female referees, but that she would be fully concentrating on the job at hand.
“I think we will not change ourselves,” she said. “Be calm, focused, concentrate, and don’t think too much about the media and everything, just be focused on the field.”
An experienced referee, who has officiated Ligue 1, Champions League, and Women’s World Cup matches, Frappart will certainly be the consummate professional and not get distracted by the attention around tomorrow’s game.
But it is hard to ignore the magnitude of the moment. For too long, women have been excluded from football, whether as players, fans, officials or managers. Attitudes are slowly changing, but it takes trailblazers such as Frappart to really shake up the status quo.
The World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting event on the planet, with millions of people across the globe tuning into matches every day. To see a woman take charge of a game will normalise female referees, and encourage others to continue in or take up the profession.
It is a shame that the scrutiny on Frappart will be more intense than it would be for any other referee. There will be those stuck in the past who will be praying for the Frenchwoman to slip up, instantly using it as an excuse to abuse and ostracise all women in football.
But why would Frappart slip up? As mentioned previously, she is an extremely talented and experienced referee, who has gained her place at the World Cup on merit. Even with the additional pressure, the history-maker is already used to the big occasion.
How has the world of football reacted?
Germany boss Hansi Flick and Costa Rica manager Luis Fernando Suarez reacted positively to the news that Frappart will be officiating their match, with the latter even suggesting she would go some way to transform a “very sexist” sport.
“I admire everything that women have conquered and I like that they want to keep on conquering things,” Suarez said.
“This is another step forward, which speaks volumes of this woman, of her commitment of doing things. Especially in this sport, it’s a very sexist one. It’s very difficult to reach the point she has reached.
“I like it, it’s a situation that is good for football, it’s another positive step. It means opening up football more for everyone.”
Flick had a similar response when asked whether he had an “issue” with Frappart taking charge, with the phrasing of the question hinting at the journalist’s own resistance to the idea of female officials.
“I have 100% trust in the referee,” he said. “She deserves it because of her performances. I hope she’s looking forward to the game as much as we are. We all hope we’ll see a good performance tomorrow.”
The responses from Flick and Suarez are encouraging, but Frappart’s role as referee tomorrow should prevent similar questions from even being asked during press conferences in the future.
Frappart will hopefully be the first of many female referees picked to officiate men’s World Cup matches.
She will ensure that, over time, it will no longer be a big deal. Instead, all-female and mixed gender officiating teams will become common. The face of football will have changed forever.
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