The Most Famous
REFEREES from France
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary French Referees of all time. This list of famous French Referees is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Michel Vautrot (b. 1945)
With an HPI of 52.59, Michel Vautrot is the most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.
Michel Jean Maurice Vautrot (born 23 October 1945 in Saint-Vit, Doubs) is a retired football (soccer) referee from France. He is mostly known for officiating five matches in the FIFA World Cup: two in 1982 and three in 1990. He refereed the Club World Cup final in 1983 on National Stadium Tokyo between Hamburg S.V. (West Germany) and Grêmio F.B.P.A. (Brazil). He refereed three matches in the European Championship, one in 1984 and two in 1988, including the final between the Soviet Union and the Netherlands. In addition, he refereed the 1986 European Cup Final between Steaua Bucharest and Barcelona. In 1986, Roma president Dino Viola was banned by UEFA for bribing referee Vautrot with £50,000 prior to the European Cup semi-final 2nd leg between Roma and Dundee United in 1984. Roma were later to lose the final on penalties to Liverpool. In the 1990 World Cup semi finals between hosts Italy and reigning champions Argentina, Vautrot mistakenly played 8 minutes in the first period extra time. He later explained that he had forgotten to check his watch.
2. Maurice Guigue (1912 - 2011)
With an HPI of 49.76, Maurice Guigue is the 2nd most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Maurice Alexandre Guigue (August 4, 1912 – February 27, 2011) was a football referee from France, who led the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the second Frenchman, after Georges Capdeville, to referee a World Cup final.
3. Stéphanie Frappart (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 45.69, Stéphanie Frappart is the 3rd most famous French Referee. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.
Stéphanie Frappart (French pronunciation: [stefani fʁapaʁ]; born 14 December 1983) is a French football referee. She has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2009, and has refereed several high-profile matches. Frappart became the first woman to referee a major men's European match and a French Ligue 1 match, both in 2019, and the first woman to officiate a UEFA Champions League match in 2020. In 2021, she became the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup qualifying match. In 2022, Frappart was one of the three women referees selected to officiate at the men's World Cup, before she became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match in an all-female referee team.
4. Clément Turpin (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 43.59, Clément Turpin is the 4th most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.
Clément Turpin (French pronunciation: [klemɑ̃ tyʁpɛ̃]; born 16 May 1982) is a French football referee. He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2010, and an UEFA Elite group referee since 2012. Turpin has received several accolades for his work as a referee. He also works as a physical education teacher in France.
5. Stéphane Lannoy (b. 1969)
With an HPI of 42.62, Stéphane Lannoy is the 5th most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Stéphane Laurent Lannoy (born 18 September 1969 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) is a French football referee. Lannoy played football at an early age before moving into officiating matches. He has been a FIFA international referee since 2006. He lives in Sailly-sur-la-Lys and works as a video games distributor. He has refereed games at the 2008 Olympics, in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and qualifiers for the UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was selected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Lannoy refereed the group stage match between The Netherlands and Denmark and the match between Brazil and Ivory Coast. He was also picked as one referee of the referees for UEFA Euro 2012. On 28 June 2012, Lannoy refereed the Euro 2012 semifinal between Italy and Germany, won 2–1 by Italy. He booked Mario Balotelli, in accordance with UEFA guidelines, for taking his shirt off after a goal celebration.
6. Éric Poulat (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 37.68, Éric Poulat is the 6th most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Éric Poulat (born 8 September 1963 in Bron, Rhône) is a French retired football referee and computer scientist. Appointed as a referee on 1 January 1999, he made his international debut in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 28 March 2001 between (Poland and Armenia). He went on to officiate at the 2004 Olympic Tournament, qualifying matches for UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, and the 2006 World Cup itself. Poulat retired as an international referee in 2006.
7. Benoît Bastien (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 30.04, Benoît Bastien is the 7th most famous French Referee. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Benoît Bastien (born 17 April 1983) is a French professional football referee. He has been a full international for FIFA since 2014.
People
Pantheon has 7 people classified as French referees born between 1912 and 1983. Of these 7, 6 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French referees include Michel Vautrot, Stéphanie Frappart, and Clément Turpin. The most famous deceased French referees include Maurice Guigue. As of April 2024, 2 new French referees have been added to Pantheon including Michel Vautrot, and Benoît Bastien.
Living French Referees
Go to all Rankings
Michel Vautrot
1945 - Present
HPI: 52.59
Stéphanie Frappart
1983 - Present
HPI: 45.69
Clément Turpin
1982 - Present
HPI: 43.59
Stéphane Lannoy
1969 - Present
HPI: 42.62
Éric Poulat
1963 - Present
HPI: 37.68
Benoît Bastien
1983 - Present
HPI: 30.04
