JUST IN: History Beckons as CAF appoints Mukansanga, three others, first all-women officials for Africa Cup of Nations match

By Harry Awurumibe, Editor-in-Chief, Abuja

It will be a proud moment for the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) and Africa to join other Football Confederations as a quartet of women match officials have been appointed to officiate one of the matches in the group stage of the 33rd African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon on Tuesday.

Rwandan-born top referee, Salima Rhadia Mukansanga will make history on Tuesday when she becomes the first woman to referee a match at the finals of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.

Mukansanga, 35, will take charge of the group stage match between Zimbabwe and Guinea on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

She is part of the quartet selected as match officials at the match – making it the first time ever that an all-women team officiates a match at TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament since the competition was established.

The other women match officials are Assistant Referees Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) as well as VAR referee Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco).

Earlier on January 10, 2022, Mukansanga made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a match in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations when she was appointed as a fourth official in the game between Guinea and Malawi in Bafoussam.

CAF Head of Referees, Eddy Maillet said this historic moment is as a result of CAF’s clear commitment and investment to improve and advance the standard of refereeing in Africa. Part of this journey is the ‘Star Programme’ initiated by FIFA and CAF to develop referees.

Maillet said: “We are super proud of Salima because she has had to work exceptionally hard to be where she is today. We know that for a woman, she has had to overcome serious obstacles to reach this level and she deserves a lot of credit. This moment is not just for Salima but for every young girl in Africa who has passion for football and who sees herself as a referee in the future”.

The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and Asia Football Confederation (AFC) are among the Confederations where women’s football referees have been officiating in their continental championships.