Calm & In Control, Stephanie Frappart Blazes Trail for Female Refs

In the highest-profile men’s game yet for a female referee, Stéphanie Frappart stood tall in the Super Cup final.

Referee Stephanie Frappart of France, center, discusses with Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri, left, and Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea, in Besiktas Park.

(Photo: AP)

In the highest-profile men's game yet for a female referee, Stéphanie Frappart made it look like any other.

A month after she oversaw the Women's World Cup final, the French ref dealt with everything in Wednesday's Super Cup game between Liverpool and Chelsea — star players' tantrums, soccer's tangled handball rules, and the physical test of extra time.

Such was her control, her milestone presence was hardly felt.

Referee Stephanie Frappart of France, right, discusses with Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea, in Besiktas Park, Istanbul.(Photo: AP)

In only the sixth minute she made the crucial call not to give Liverpool a penalty when Sadio Mané's scissor-kick shot hit Andreas Christensen's arm.

The thorny issue of exactly what constitutes an "unnatural" arm position has been much discussed lately, not least when Liverpool won a penalty against Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko in similar circumstances in the Champions League final, but the video assistant referee system didn't review Frappart's call.

Frappart had few problems keeping pace with the world's top male players — a concern sometimes voiced by critics of female referees — and was quietly authoritative.

Frappart kept Chelsea's players under control when they twice had goals ruled out for offside on the way to a penalty-shootout loss to Liverpool .

She greeted aggrieved players with a firmly outstretched palm and faced down objections calmly, such as when Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta was upset to receive a booking for shoving Mané. Frappart could be jovial too, smiling and patting Chelsea's Jorginho on the back after blowing the whistle for halftime.

Assistant referee Michelle O’Neill of Ireland, left, referee Stephanie Frappart of France, center, and assistant referee Manuela Nicolosi of France pose for a picture before the start of the UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea.(Photo: AP)

Frappart became the first woman to referee a French top-flight men's game when she oversaw Amiens against Strasbourg in April. She has been promoted to a full-time role for the French men's league this season.

She said in June she was "proud and honored" to gain that promotion and hoped she could inspire more young girls to take up refereeing.

For the Super Cup, Frappart was accompanied by assistants Manuela Nicolosi of France and Michelle O'Neal from Ireland, reuniting the team which officiated the United States' win over the Netherlands in the Women's World Cup final last month.