The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 tournament, scheduled to begin on January 13, will have match officials from over 30 African countries.
The match official’s list consists of 26 referees, 30 assistant referees, and 12 VAR referees.
Remarkably, five female referees have made the list of officials that will oversee the continent’s biggest showpiece due to start on January 13.
Karboubi Bouchra (Morocco)
Bouchra is the only female who is listed as a lead referee at the tournament by the organisers.
She became the first Arab female referee to officiate a professional men’s tournament final, the Moroccan Throne Cup, in 2022.
She began refereeing in the first and second Moroccan women's divisions at the age of 19. Almost 10 years later, in 2016, she climbed a new level by becoming an international referee.
Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)
Mukansanga is a certified match official who has participated in a men’s FIFA World Cup.
In 2022, Mukansanga became the first woman to referee at the African Cup of Nations, leading an all-woman officiating team of Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) as the VAR.
She has officiated at the Olympics, the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Africa Women Cup of Nations, and the CAF Women's Champions League. In 2022, she was one of three female referees selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Qatar.
Akhona Makalima (South Africa)
South Africa’s Akhona Makalima will serve as a VAR official at the 2023 men’s AfCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
Makalima has been a listed international referee for FIFA since 2014.
Her experience as a match official includes lead-refereeing Premier Soccer League matches and officiating at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Rivet Maria Pakuita Cinquela (Mauritius)
Maria Rivet will be one of only three female referees operating in the VAR room alongside Salima Mukansanga and Akhona Makalima.
She was the fourth official for the 2022 Women’s AfCON final between South Africa and Morocco.
Pakita Rivet was one of the match officials selected to officiate women's football matches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)
Diana Chikotesha will become the first Zambian female referee to take part in the men’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
She will officiate in matches as an assistant referee. She also featured in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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