Stephanie Frappart: Men's football plays by her rules

Dubai - She had an outstanding game and Frappart was not alone.

It's a man's world, they say, but not anymore. What a man can do, a woman can match that, if not do better. And on the evidence of what transpired on a muggy Wednesday night in Istanbul, they can take it up a notch.

The Uefa Super Cup, European club football's season-opener, played out in front of 38,434 fans at Vodafone Park, with English clubs Liverpool and Chelsea dishing out entertaining fare.

But the night clearly stood out as it marked the first time a female referee officiated a top men's European fixture. Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappart, who also refereed the women's World Cup final between the USA and the Netherlands last month, conquered another male bastion, paving the way for more to come.

She had an outstanding game and Frappart was not alone. It was an all-woman crew with Frappart's compatriot Manuela Nicolosi and Ireland's Michelle O'Neill being the lineswomen.

It was a first and hopefully won't be the last.

Take a bow, ladies!
james@khaleejtimes.com