Rwanda referee Mukansanga first woman to officiate AFCON
The 35-year-old became the first woman to referee at an AFCON match and had an all-female team of officials for the battle between Zimbabwe and Guinea.
Rwanda referee
Salima Rhadia Mukansanga
made history as she became the first woman referee at
AFCONwhen she officiated
Zimbabwe’s 2-1 win over
Guineaon Tuesday.
She had previously served as the fourth official when Malawi went against Guinea. She took charge of the Group B clash at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.
Her team was all-female officials with assistant referees Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) running the lines. VAR referee was Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco).
The match was a quiet one when it came to the officials, with the main talking point being Naby Keita’s second yellow card of the tournament, and he is now going to miss Guinea’s Round of 16 games.
Before the game, Caf Head of Referees Eddy Maillet said this moment was courtesy of Caf’s commitment to making a better standard of refereeing in Africa.
“
We are super proud of Salima because she has had to work exceptionally hard to be where she is today,”
Maillet said as quoted by CafOnline.
“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 a passion for football and who sees herself as a referee in the future.”
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