Stéphanie Frappart to become first female referee in France’s top football league.

Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a French Ligue 1 football match when Amiens host Strasbourg on Sunday (April 28). 

The French Football Federation (FFF) announced the news in a statement said in a statement on Tuesday: "Stephanie Frappart, selected by FIFA for the Women's World Cup in France, has been appointed by the FFF Refereeing Direction for the match on the 34th day of Ligue 1 between Amiens SC and RC Strasbourg."

Frappart was the first woman to oversee a Ligue 2 (second-tier) match.

She will also be the only referee from France who will be officiating at the Women's World Cup to be held there this June.  "Reaching Ligue 1, a bit like Ligue 2, I see it as an acknowledgement of my competence," Frappart told AFP news agency.

I don't want to be given top billing or put in Ligue 1 just because I am a woman, she continued.

Frappart will follow in the footsteps of Germany's Bibiana Steinhaus, who became the first woman to officiate a Bundesliga match in 2017 when Hertha Berlin drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen.

Frappart's appointment drew praise on Twitter, both by football fans and feminists.

We hope that many other women will improve and develop in their countries, reaching the top.

Good Luck! tweeted Law 5, a blog dedicated to football referees.