A top-flight men’s match in France will be refereed by a woman for the first time this weekend.
The French Football Federation has announced the Ligue 1 fixture on Sunday between Amiens and Strasbourg will be officiated by Stephanie Frappart.
35-year-old Frappart has earned a promotion to the top division having been a referee in Ligue 2 for the past five years.
Taking charge of the top-flight fixture will form part of Frappart’s preparations for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be staged in France. FIFA requested that referees involved in the World Cup ‘prepare in the best conditions’ and the French Federation have agreed to the promotion. German Bibiana Steinhaus became the first female referee to take charge of a fixture in Europe’s leading leagues when she officiated the Bundesliga match between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen in September 2017.
A statement from the FFF said: ‘FIFA has invited the chosen referees for the Women’s World Cup to prepare under the best conditions for this high-level competition.
‘Their preparation, both technical and athletic, will also be focused on the use of video assistance (VAR), which will be in operation at the World Cup.’The FIFA Women’s World Cup begins with the match between hosts France and South Korea at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 7.