In a country like Qatar where there are stringent rules for women, a woman, Stephanie Frappart alongside her assistants Neuza Back and Karen Diaz scripted history as they became the first female referees to officiate a men's FIFA World Cup match at the Al Bayt stadium.
Frappart who is known to break stereotypes in the football world ended the 92-year-long wait when she took charge of the Costa Rica vs Germany game on Thursday. It was for the first time ever that a FIFA WC game was officiated by an all-female refereeing team.
The Frenchwoman who qualified after matching the same standards as their male counterparts was also the first woman ever to officiate a Men's Ligue 2 match, then men's Ligue 1 match in France, the first woman to officiate in the Champions League and the Super Cup. And hence, Frappart feels she now knows, 'how to deal with it'
Frappart is a three-time winner of the World's Best Referee award which is given by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.