First female referee set to officiate in French league

Paris - A men's top-flight match in France will be refereed by a woman for the first time this weekend when Stephanie Frappart takes charge of the Ligue 1 game between Amiens and Strasbourg, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced Tuesday.

Frappart, 35, makes the step up having been a referee in France's Ligue 2 since 2014.

She will also referee at the women's World Cup, which will be held in France in June and July. Frappart previously officiated at the 2015 edition of that tournament and took charge of the women's under-20 World Cup final last year.

The FFF said the appointment for Sunday's match followed a request from FIFA to help referees involved in the World Cup "prepare in the best conditions". 

In a recent interview with AFP, Frappart said she would see being appointed to a Ligue 1 game as "an acknowledgement of my competence."

"I don't want to be given top billing or put in Ligue 1 just because I am a woman," she added.

Germany's Bibiana Steinhaus became the first female referee in one of the top European leagues when she took charge of a Bundesliga match between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen in September 2017.