Question Number: 35071

Other 8/19/2023

RE: Adult

John of Berlin, United States asks...

In your opinion-why isn't Frappart the referee in the women's final? I think she's by far the best choice.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi John,
I would hope the appointment is merit based and is a reward for explementary conduct! ! I suspect it was because she refereed the final of 2019 between the United States and the Netherlands. She has had her moment in the sun so to speak. She is an excellent official by any standards! We have no way of knowing other than understanding service, loyalty, performance and a lot of politics goes into the selection. Tori Penso and her compatriots Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt are the U.S. team of on-field officials selected for the England Spain final. We wish them well. It would seem BOTH the woman's team and the officials team of USA based women seem to excel over the USA men in terms of performance recognition lol Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi John
There are many reasons why officials are chosen for games. In Tournament play the officials are closely monitored and assessed against a wide range of criteria.
Some factors that I think can influence the decision and in no particular order.
Its a World game so FIFA may want to bring other Confederations into the mix. Having an all Europe final including officials may not be desired
The US has been strong in the past in the Women’s game and will come again so the next opportunity to use US officials in the latter stages of finals could be limited. A US official could not be used for the last three finals.
Scoring in tournament observations can be a factor.
Following tournament instructions to the satisfaction of the Referee Group.
It is important to share top games around as recognition and reward for contributions to the game at the highest level.
How a particular game was refereed which impressed / disappointed the Referee Group.
Is Frappart now considered part of the Men’s game with a desire to bring on other female officials ?
Appointing a UEFA referee to the final would be the 3rd time in a row?

FWIW I thought the choice of Referee Szymon Marciniak of Poland was somewhat of a surprise yet as it turned out it was one of the best finals in recent history and the referee crew performed well, He was also appointed to this years ECL final between Man City and Inter Milan and did well.
So sometimes when your star rises coupled with good performance it can be easy to get the top appointments as if questions arise the answer is that the best official based on recent performances at that particular time was considered.

We all have our favourites as to the way a game is refereed. Also clubs , countries can have a particular dislike of certain officials based on past events. FWIW Canada were not too happy with Frappart after their game with Australia while Sweden were not too happy with the referee after their game with Spain citing poor communication as one of the gripes.
While teams never dictate match officials appointments, disquiet surrounding particular games can filter into the mix.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi John,
I would say it's mostly due to the fact that, as mentioned above, she refereed the last Women's World Cup Final. FIFA has not been known to give multiple world cup finals to the same referee.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 35076