Female referee to oversee England men’s game for first time ever at Wembley

For the first time ever, a female referee will take charge of an England men’s match at Wembley Stadium.

Stephanie Frappart will be the woman in the middle when Gareth Southgate’s side play host to Australia on October 13. It is another huge milestone for the French referee, who is widely considered to be one of the best in Europe.

As well as becoming the first woman to referee an England men's match at Wembley, she was the first female to take charge of a UEFA Super Cup final, when she oversaw Liverpool’s penalty-shootout victory over Chelsea in 2019. The FA jumped at the chance to appoint the official for the clash against the Aussies, when the French Football Federation said she would be available.

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“Stephanie is an outstanding referee and she has officiated on the highest stage within France, across Europe and recently at the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup,” head of refereeing operations at the FA, Peter Elsworth said.

“We’re delighted she and her team will take charge of our upcoming fixture against Australia in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium. We’re looking forward to welcoming them to the home of English football.”

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Frappart is a Ligue 1 referee who has also taken charge of various matches in European competitions. As well as the French top flight, she has also overseen games in the Champions League and the recent World Cup in Qatar.

She will be supported by assistants Mikael Berchebru and Aurélien Drouet and fourth official Hakim Ben El Hadj. VAR will be in place at Wembley, which will be managed by Mathieu Vernice and assistant VAR official Nicolas Rainville.

While the match is technically a friendly, England have always had a rich sporting rivalry with Australia. The footballing tension may not be as fierce as it is in cricket or rugby, but it will still be a fixture that could get rowdy rather quickly.

Australia have also made huge strides in international football by reaching the Round of 16 stage of the last World Cup. After losing 4-1 to runners-up France, they overcame Denmark and Tunisia before being knocked out by eventual winners Argentina.

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