Stephanie Prapar from France to officiate Germany vs. Costa Rica match on December 1
Assistant referees Neusa Baek and Karen Diaz join, all three referees are women
[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Football referee Stephanie Frappart (39, France) will become the first female referee to officiate as the main referee in a FIFA World Cup final match, following her historic appearance as a female referee in the tournament.
According to the list of referees announced by FIFA on the 29th (local time), Frappart will serve as the main referee for the Group E third match between Costa Rica and Germany in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage, held on December 1st.
Since the first tournament held in Uruguay in 1930, this is the first time in the 92-year history of the World Cup that a female referee has been appointed as the main referee in a final match. Previously, Frappart made history as the first female official referee in a men's World Cup final match by serving as the fourth official in the Group C first match between Poland and Mexico on the 22nd, breaking the "barrier of exclusion".
FIFA decided to include female referees in the Qatar World Cup finals, with a total of six referees (three main referees and three assistant referees) named. Alongside Frappart, Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshida Yamashita (Japan) were selected as main referees, while Neusa Back (Brazil), Karen Diaz (Mexico), and Catherine Nezbit (USA) were included as assistant referees.
Back and Diaz will serve as assistant referees for the Costa Rica-Germany match, meaning female referees will officiate both as main and assistant referees. On the same day, Yamashita will be the fourth official for the Canada-Morocco Group F third match, and Mukansanga will be the fourth official for the Japan-Spain Group E third match.
Frappart has previously set various pioneering records. She obtained her FIFA international referee license in 2009 and became the first female referee in France’s professional Ligue 1 in 2019. In December 2020, she became the first female main referee in a UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage match, and in March last year, she officiated as the main referee for the Netherlands-Latvia match in Group G of the Qatar World Cup European qualifiers.
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