The match of Juventus vs Dynamo Kiev on matchday 5 of the Champions League will become new history. For the first time, the competition between Europe’s elite clubs will be led by a female referee. The duel will be held at the Allianz Stadium, Wednesday (2/12/2020) local time.
Juventus, who have already qualified for the last-16, are second in Group G with nine points from four games, eight points clear of Dynamo Kiev and three behind Barcelona, who face Ferencvaros on Wednesday.
The match between Juventus against Ukraine’s representatives will be led by a female referee from France, Stephanie Frappart. The 36-year-old court will also make history as the first female referee to officiate at the men’s Champions League match.
Frappart, who has been a FIFA referee since 2009. She said she was aware of the meaning behind her appointment and wanted to demonstrate that women are just as good as their male counterparts.
On 3 December 2018, Frappart was appointed to officiate in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. After the conclusion of the round of 16, it was announced that Frappart had been selected as one of 11 officials that would be retained for the remainder of the tournament. One of the prestigious matches she has ever led is the United States vs Netherlands duel in the 2019 Women’s World Cup final. The game which was held at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais Stadium was won by the United States.
In addition, Frappart was also the judge for the 2019 European Super Cup which brought together the champions of the Champions League, Liverpool, and the champions of the Europa League, Chelsea. In the match which took place at the Vodafone Park Stadium, Istanbul, Liverpool managed to beat Chelsea on penalties which ended 5-4.
Moreover, Stephanie Frappart’s name was also recorded as the first female referee to lead a Ligue 1 match or the French League top competition, namely the Amiens vs Strasbourg match, April last year. This year, Frappart has also led one of the European competition matches, namely the Leicester City vs Zorya Luhansk match on the Europa League matchday 1, at the end of October.