Meet Stephanie Frappart the first lady to ref in World Cup

France’s Stephanie Frappart will make World Cup history when she becomes the first woman to take charge of a match at the tournament.

And Germany coach Hansi Flick and Costa Rica counterpart Luis Fernando Suarez gave public votes of confidence in the ground-breaking whistler.

Frappart, 38, will have support from assistants Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina in an all-female officiating trio.

Any doubts from fans over the appointment in such a high-profile encounter were dismissed by the rival coaches.

Flick, first to speak on Wednesday, said: “I trust her, 100 per cent.

“She deserves to be here because of her performances and what she has already achieved.

 “We are looking forward to this match and I hope she is as well. I’m sure she will perform very well.”

Suarez was even more encouraging as he suggested it was an overdue appointment.

He said: “I’m a great admirer of everything women have conquered and I like the fact that they want to keep on conquering things.

“This is another step forward that speaks volumes.

“It shows what women have done to overcome things, especially in this sport which is a very sexist one.

“Everyone knows how difficult it is to reach the point she has reached but I like it and think it is a situation that is good for football and is another positive step for the game.

“It is opening up football for everybody.

“One good thing about football is that it has always been very democratic and this is also very democratic that we have a woman refereeing this match at the World Cup.”