Woman referee lauded as ‘inspiration’ after UCL debut

French referee Stephanie Frappart has been hailed as a barrier-breaker after becoming the first woman to take charge of a men’s Champions League game when she oversaw Juventus’s 3-0 defeat of Dynamo Kiev.

“It was about time,” Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan wrote on Twitter. “Great achievement and inspiration to others. Hopefully this will be a regular occurrence very soon.”

The 36-year-old was the first female referee in France’s Ligue 1 and oversaw Liverpool’s 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory over Chelsea in the 2019 European Super Cup.

She was also in charge of this season’s Europa League fixtures between Leicester and Zorya Lugansk, and Granada and Omonoia.

“It’s great. I’m really happy she has been given this honour. She definitely belongs there,” said Bibiana Steinhaus, Germany’s first professional woman referee.

“Frappart perfect,” French sports newspaper L’Equipe wrote. “She was always close to the action and intervened little.”

Read Also: Barcelona ace Messi fined for Maradona tribute

The referee was also congratulated by France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on Twitter.

Italian daily La Repubblica said Frappart was “flawless”, noting that she “kept the game under control and with calm authority.”