(Reuters) - Stephanie Frappart became the first female referee to officiate a French Ligue 1 match when she took charge of the game between Amiens and Strasbourg on Sunday.
Frappart, the only referee from France who will be officiating at the Women's World Cup to be held in the country from June 7 to July 7, was also the first woman to officiate a Ligue 2 (second-tier) match.
Sunday's match ended 0-0 but Frappart was kept busy, booking four players in all, three of whom were from Strasbourg.
Strasbourg manager Thierry Laurey said she did a good job and had no issues with the 35-year-old's officiating.
"I had no worries before the game about the fact that Mrs. Frappart will referee us and my opinion has not changed," Laurey told reporters. "It's very good that she was able to reach a high level. She's doing very well."
Frappart is not the first woman to officiate a top-flight men's game in Europe's top leagues. Germany's Bibiana Steinhaus became the first woman to officiate a Bundesliga match in 2017 when Hertha Berlin drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
