Rwandan referee Salma Mukansanga made history on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to officiate a match as a center referee at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals. The 30-year-old, in the last five years alone, has been at several major competitions globally such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2019 Women’s World Cup to mention a few. In this article, Times Sport looks at other Rwandan referees who have officiated at the AFCON finals – the biggest football competition on the continent. Celestin Ntagungira – AFCON 2008 Commonly known as ‘Abega’, Celestin Ntagungira is certainly Rwanda’s most successful match official, having enjoyed a refereeing career spanning 13 years – from 1997 to 2010. He officiated at two AFCON tournaments; 2008 in Egypt and 2010 in Ghana, as an assistant referee. On an even better note, he was also an assistant referee at two World Cups: 2006 in Germany, and 2010 in South Africa. Ntagungira was also involved at the 2008 FIFA Club World Championship held in Yokohama, Japan, and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Afterwards, he served as the President of the Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) between 2011 and 2013. Currently, he is employed by the world football governing body (Fifa). Louis Hakizimana – AFCON 2019 Louis Hakizimana is also among the local referees who have tested the big stage, having officiated at the AFCON 2019 finals in Egypt. Besides the AFCON, he has handled matches in other big competitions such as the CAF Champions League, the Confederation Cup, Olympic Games African qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers. Theogene Ndagijimana – AFCON 2015 At the 2015 AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea, Ndagijimana was an assistant referee. He was also involved in the qualifiers of the same competition, where he officiated the Malawi–Mali encounter. Félicien Kabanda – AFCON 2013 In 2013, Félicien Kabanda served as assistant referee in the opening game of the AFCON in South Africa, between the hosts and Cape Verde islands in Johannesburg. Two years earlier, he officiated at the second edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) held in Sudan and was again selected by CAF to be part of the 2011 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations held in Kigali.
