Elvis Kang
Sports Writer-Mysoccer24.com
The 35-year-old became the first woman to referee a game at Afcon and led an all-female team of referees for the Zimbabwe v Guinea game.
On 10 January 2022, Mukansanga made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a match in the Africa Cup of Nations when she was appointed as a fourth official in the game between Guinea and Malawi in Bafoussam.
She managed an all-female team of match officials with assistant referees Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) running the lines and VAR judged by Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco).
Rwandan Salima Mukansanga makes history as the first woman to referee an AFCON game đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/hMCWsVm8Eu
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 18, 2022
CAF Head of Referees, Eddy Maillet, had in a statement said the historic moment was as a result of CAF’s clear commitment and investment to improve and advance the standard of refereeing in Africa.
Maillet told CAFOnline, “We are super proud of Salima because she has had to work exceptionally hard to be where she is today. We know that as 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.”
