No one will take this from them. They were the first women to serve as referees in a men’s soccer championship. Stephanie Frappart will appear as the fourth referee in today’s Portugal-Ghana match.

Moreover, in the Arab country of Qatar, such a step has a certain symbolism. Until recently, men were not used to women standing in leadership positions, driving cars, playing sports…

As well as the Frenchwoman, Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita and Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga are also “whistling” in Qatar, and the three are joined by three other women, mostly in assistant positions.

Six women from the five world confederations will be part of the 129 referees who will cover 64 matches. Their choice has nothing to do with gender, it’s just about ability and achievement. They are some of the best and that’s why they are there.

As always, Stephanie Frappartová, as the 4th referee, will examine the situation around substitutions, the arrangements for substitutions and their signals, and send information to the world about how many minutes each half will be set for. But he, the Japanese and the Rwandans have to come first in the next WC.

38-year-old Frappartová is the most experienced, a career filled with milestones.

She whistled her first final in the summer of 2019 at the Women’s World Cup in France, when she officiated the US vs. Dutch. However, in the spring of the same year, she had an even bigger breakthrough when she was selected to referee the first women’s match between SC Amiens and RC Strasbourg in the men’s first French league.

In August, she officiated the 2019 UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea, becoming the first woman to officiate such an important match.

He proved himself well, and game after game followed. Most recently in 2019, he officiated the second leg of the Irish Champions Cup opener where Dundalk beat Northern Ireland champions Linfield 6–0. And Frappart didn’t mess with the impulsive Irishman – he showed them two yellow cards.

In December 2020, she became the first female referee to officiate a UEFA Champions League match between Juventus and Dynamo Kyiv. The following spring, she also officiated in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League between Atlético Madrid and Chelsea, and soon after she became the first woman to officiate in a FIFA World Cup qualifier – a game between the Netherlands and Latvia.

When a little French woman stands against a wall of men, for example when setting up a wall, it can have a humorous effect. However, his attitude and behavior is exemplary. He is strong, intelligent and reasonable. Many admire him for keeping his cool in the world of men’s sports. It’s no coincidence that this year he won the IFFHS award as the world’s best referee for the third time in a row.

According to the Frenchwoman, the presence of a female referee in the Men’s WC will convey an important message. “This is a strong signal from FIFA and the authorities that there will be female referees in this country,” he said.

As FIFA’s chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, emphasized a few days ago, women referees at the World Cup will not face any restrictions based on cultural or religious reasons in matches of conservative countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

“Their presence is something new, something that attracts attention. But for us they are referees, they are match officials. That is also the message I gave them. You are not here because you are a woman, you are here because you are a FIFA match official. And that’s why they are ready to organize any game according to their performances,” said Collina.

On Friday night, another woman, Yamashita Japan, will start the England-US match as the 4th referee.

He also has a lot of experience in the big world of football. She managed the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France or the match between the United States and Sweden at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo.