‘No women referees sends bad signal’ – French referees commission criticises UEFA for not selecting Stéphanie Frappart

One of France’s leading referees Stéphanie Frappart will not be selected for this summer’s Euros after she has had a disappointing season by her high standards. 

The referee became the subject of controversy earlier in the season when her performance came under question during the Olympique Lyonnais and Valenciennes FC semi-final in the Coupe de France. Frappart received a rare 1 rating from L’Équipe for her decision-making and her handling of the situations criticised by the paper. 

A rating that was met with the accusation of sexism, something that L’Équipe set out to defend itself from in a response explaining its rating system, and why it felt that Frappart deserved the low score. 

Frappart has become a mainstay in international competitions having refereed in the Champions League, World Cup, and the 2021 Olympics, and the decision by UEFA not to select her as one of France’s two representatives was met with disappointment from Eric Borghini, the president of the Federal Referees Commission. 

Speaking to L’Équipe, Borghini stated this is a significant step back for UEFA, “ They have their own selection criteria, but it’s unfortunate. This will put a stop, temporarily in any case, to the presence of women referees at the highest European level. The fact she was not retained and that no woman will be taken as a main referee, is a bad signal .”

GFFN | Nick Hartland