Well done, Ref Steph

France’s Stephanie Frappart excels as first woman to referee in FIFA men’s World Cup match; confidently controls tense Germany v Costa Rica clash

The fast-paced final Group E match between Germany and Costa Rica at the Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday night was a tense affair and even got a bit physical. Thankfully, referee Stephanie Frappart was in command throughout—not overawed one bit by the historic occasion—as she became the first woman to referee a FIFA men’s World Cup match.

Frappart also had assistant female referees Neuza Back and Karen Diaz for company on the sidelines, but the pressure was clearly on her in the centre of the pitch. 

Asst referee Diaz errs

As soon as the game began, Diaz seemed to have erred when she didn’t raise her flag to award a corner to Germany though Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas appeared to have failed to keep the ball in play from a back pass. German striker Thomas Mueller raised his arms in protest, but a stern look from Frappart saw him calm down. Mueller was at it again in the 41st minute, upset with an off-side call against him, but again Frappart dealt with him firmly. 

Then, as the clock went a little beyond 45 minutes, Costa Rica’s Joel Cambell went down seeking a foul. However, refusing to get into an unnecessary discussion, a streetsmart Frappart instead blew the final whistle, indicating half-time. Three Costa Rican players immediately surrounded her in protest, but the French woman did not just stand her ground, she even managed to convince them with her reasoning and they walked away peacefully. 

On resumption, Costa Rican forward Keysher Fuller kicked off the proceedings, but Frappart wasn’t in position, so she firmly ordered a restart. Then, things began heating up on the pitch as Costa Rica took a 2-1 lead and Germany equalised through Kai Havertz. 

When Havertz went to pick up the ball from the Costa Rican goal for a quick restart as they needed more goals, he was thwarted by Costa Rican defender Bryan Oviedao. The two almost got into a scuffle, before Frappart bravely stepped in and ended their pushing and shoving.

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Spot-on decision-making

Late in the match, as the Germans continued their relentless attacks, striker Serge Gnabry fell over in the Costa Rican box and the Germans immediately demanded a penalty. However, Frappart did not give in and replays later revealed she was spot-on as Gnabry had fallen over without contact from the Costa Rican defender. Finally, with Germany leading 3-2, substitute striker Niclas Fullkrug claimed a goal, but there was some uncertainty. Following the right procedure, Frappart immediately signalled for the VAR, ran over to the sideline for a video check and returned to signal a goal.  

The close contest witnessed just one yellow card—to Costa Rica’s Oscar Duarte—for his rash 77th minute challenge as Frappart unwaveringly whistled her way into the record books in front of a mammoth 67,054-strong audience. 

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Coach Suarez heaps praise

It came as no surprise then when Costa Rican coach Luis Fernando Suarez lavishly praised Frappart, who is also the first female referee to take charge of a Ligue 1 match and a men’s European fixture in 2019 followed by a UEFA Champions League match in 2020. “This is another step forward which speaks volumes of this woman, of her commitment of doing things. And especially in this sport, which is a very sexist one. It’s very difficult to reach the point she has reached,” said Suarez at the post-match press conference. 

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