Stéphanie Freppart will be particularly scrutinized on the field during the Marseille – Nantes meeting in conclusion of Ligue 1 day this Sunday.
Arbitration in France is in the midst of a crisis and the controversies are linked, especially with Olympique de Marseille. Swept by Auxerre in the league last week (3-0), the Marseillais, through its president Pablo Longoria, attacked the arbitration once again, offering a fairly lunar sequence with the Marseille president who accuses the corruption referees and offering his services to the super league (this championship with the best European teams to compete with the Champions League …). If he returned to his proposed a few days later, the evil was done.
This Sunday, the meeting of the Olympians against Nantes at the Vélodrome stadium, will be particularly scrutinized because the referee of the match will be Stéphanie FRAPPART, often criticized by supporters and clubs. The one who has lost her title of best referee in the world, will face the pressure of a boiling velodrome who will not miss one to express her anger in the face of arbitration.
In a long interview for So Foot a few weeks ago, the female referee had confided in the many harsh criticisms that she receives very often, often very different from those that her male colleagues receive. “It is not that it swells me, but I tell myself that there is still work to do, that we must continue to change these mentalities there. An error of one of my male colleagues, we will not put it on the same level as my error. Conversely, my good performances can be put more in light than those of some of my men’s colleagues. It’s all or nothing, in fact.”
“Go to do the dishes”
The Frenchwoman also very often receives misogynist remarks, not necessarily actors in the field, but more in the public who does not hesitate to swing “will do the dishes”. Quite distant from the networks, threats were however well received and the federation closely monitors all the meetings. “It is quite followed by the Federation at this level-, I received death threats without being touched directly. People are quite loose, in fact, because it is easy to let go on social networks. On the other hand, face to face, I have always had very benevolent relationships with the people who were happy with what I was doing”.