There are several cities in Europe that provide deep meaning for Liverpool supporters. Call it Rome, London, Paris, to Madrid. In these cities, Liverpool felt the sweetness of winning European titles through the European Cup and UEFA Champions League stage. Liverpool even won it twice in Rome in 1977 and 1984.
However, at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Liverpool supporters really felt an unforgettable magical experience. It happened on May 25, 2005 ago.
Called magic because Liverpool won the fifth Champions League trophy through “unusual” means. Against AC Milan, the Liverpool goal was broken three times in the first round. In the final match, it was difficult to return three goals in just one round.
What happened, Liverpool could equate the score 3-3 in less than eight minutes. Then, they won the final on penalties. It was one of the “magical nights” in the Champions League final.
In an interview with UEFA, Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp said how special Istanbul was. Klopp was indeed not a part of the Liverpool team when the 2005 Champions League champions. However, he could feel the correlation between Istanbul and Liverpool. Moreover, he had also felt playing there when he was coaching the German team, Borussia Dortmund.
“I know how special Istanbul is for Liverpool and supporters. Nobody forgets the memories of 2005. And Istanbul is indeed a great place to play. I once played there with Dortmund and the atmosphere is really brilliant,” Klopp said.
The 2019 European Super Cup was led by female referees
Interestingly, the fight over the 2019 Super Cup yesterday was led by female referee, Stephanie Frappart. The 35-year-old French referee has made history as a female referee who leads men’s matches in important UEFA matches. Quoted from Express UK, Frappart was appointed by UEFA to lead Liverpool’s match against Chelsea in Istanbul last month. Frappart did have enough flying hours to lead the match.
Last July, she led the FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the United States and the Netherlands in Lyon, France. She also led the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 semifinals, as well as the UEFA European Women’s U-19 final.
Frappart even made history when he was the first female referee to lead the match in French Ligue 1 between the Amiens team against Strasbourg in April. “I am happy that Stephanie Frappart was appointed to dream of the UEFA Super Cup. It is an inspiration for millions of women throughout Europe that there is no limit for them to achieve their dreams,” said UEFA President Alesander Ceferin.
“Stephanie has proven in recent years that she is one of the best female referees in the world,” UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti was quoted by Express UK.
In fact, Frappart was not the first female referee to lead a men’s soccer match. Previously there was the name Nicole Petignant had led three UEFA Cup qualifying matches in 2004 and 2009 ago. However, it was Frappart who was the first to lead a prestigious match in the race for the European Super Cup.
Even so, the appointment of Frappart had raised pros and cons. There are those who support, some are condemning the UEFA decision. Those who support call Frappart a symbol of equal rights for women in leading soccer matches. However, those who are cons, say men should not fight soccer led by women.
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