Mukansanga to headline first all-women referee team handling an AFCON game

Rwanda international referee Salma Rhadia Mukansanga will make history in the next few hours when she becomes the first ever woman to referee a match at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals. Mukansanga will take charge of the group stage match between Zimbabwe and Guinea on Tuesday, January 18, at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She is part of the quartet assigned to handle the game – making it the first time ever that an all-women team officiates a match at AFCON since the competition was established in 1957. The other women match officials are assistant referees Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) as well as VAR referee Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco). On Monday, January 10, Mukansanga made history by becoming the first woman to officiate an AFCON match when she was appointed as a fourth official in the game between Guinea and Malawi in Bafoussam. CAF Head of Referees, Eddy Maillet, said the 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 the journey is the ‘Star Programme’ initiated by FIFA and CAF to develop referees. Maillet said: “We are super proud of Salma (Mukansanga) 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.” He added: “This moment is not just for Salma but for every young girl in Africa who has passion for football and who sees herself as a referee in the future.”

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Mukansanga to headline first all-women referee team handling an AFCON game