Salima Mukansanga
Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga led an all-female line-up of match officials at the Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Guinea and Zimbabwe yesterday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced.
It was the first time only women will officiate a game at Africa’s flagship international tournament.
Mukansanga took charge alongside assistants Carine Atemzabong from Cameroon and Fatiha Jermoumi of Morocco. The Video Assistant Referee was another Moroccan, Bouchra Karboubi.
Mukansanga had been the fourth official in the clash between Guinea and Malawi on January 10.
“She [Mukansanga] has had to overcome serious obstacles to reach this level and she deserves a lot of credit,” CAF Head of Referees Eddy Maillet said in a statement.
“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.”