Rwandan referee Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, arrived in the country Saturday night after making history in Cameroon as the first woman to officiate a mens AFCON game. The 33-year-old was involved in two group games at the continental showpiece. She was a fourth referee during the Group B opening match in which Guinea beat Malawi 1-0 on January 11, at Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam before handling the final group match between Zimbabwe and Guinea on January 18, at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé as a centre referee. The Green Buffaloes at the time beat Naby Keita and his teammates 2-1. Mukansanga checked out of AFCON 2021 as a hero as she was hailed across the world not only for becoming the first woman to officiate an AFCON game but for also showing impressive performances at both games she officiated. She returned after she was informed that she would not be involved in any of the remaining fixtures of the tournament and was, upon her arrival, welcomed by Henry Muhire, the new FERWAFA Secretary General and some of her fellow female referees, among others. Speaking to the media, Mukasanga thanked the country in general for supporting her reach the milestone. “I am thankful to the country’s administration for the platform given to me to show what I can do and how far I can go,” she said. Mukansanga revealed the current status that she has built in her refereeing career is inspired by First Lady Jeannette Kagame from whom, she says, take inspiration. “She always tells us to be confident and work hard towards a better future and I achieved this with confidence because I was inspired by her motivational messages,” she said. Apart from AFCON, Mukansanga also refereed at the 2019 Womens World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics among other major tournaments.
