Stéphanie Frappart: who is the referee for Real Madrid vs Celtic in Champions League?

UEFA has appointed French referee Stéphanie Frappart to take charge of the match between Real Madrid and Celtic on Wednesday, as the reigning European champions bring their group stage to a close, already qualified and a first place finish in their own hands. Frappart is the first woman to referee in the Champions League, a task in which she made her debut in December 2020 when Juventus beat Dinamo Kiev 3-0. Compatriot Benoît Millot will be in the VAR room.

Frappart making refereeing firsts

Although this game at the Santiago Bernabéu will only be her second match in the top continental competition, 38-year-old Frappart’s international experience is much broader. She made her debut as a FIFA referee in 2011, in the women’s game, and has been refereeing men’s competitions since 2019. That year she became the first woman to referee a UEFA men’s final, being appointed for the European Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea. Also in 2019, she refereed the Women’s World Cup final and became the first woman to referee French Ligue 1 matches, after five years in the second tier of French football.

Frappart has refereed matches at the last two Olympic Games and is one of 36 referees chosen by FIFA to referee matches at the next World Cup in Qatar. Last season she officiated the high-profile Barcelona-Real Madrid women’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.

As long as Carlo Ancelotti’s men equal or better that of RB Leipzig, they will go into the draw for the Champions League round of 16 as one of the top seeds.