Here is all you need to know about the five female referees at AFCON 2023-2024
Five female officials will be present at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 competition, which gets underway on January 13.
AFCON 2023-2024 five female football referees names list and profile
While the teams get ready for kickoff on Saturday, an equally important milestone is taking place in the officiating world: five women have been chosen to the match officials’ team for the first time in the tournament’s history.
There are 12 VAR referees, 30 assistant referees, and 26 referees total in the squad. Let us have a look at the five female referees at the tournament.
Karboubi Bouchra (Morocco)
Moroccan referee Karboubi Bouchra, who has the honour of being the only female main referee for the competition, is one of the appointed women. Bouchra’s selection is a testament to the confidence people have in her to maintain the high standards of officiating at a prominent event, as well as a personal accomplishment.
Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)
A Rwandan international football referee, Salima Mukansanga was born in 1988. Since 2012, FIFA has classified her as an international referee. She was into basketball at first, but after learning that she was too young to join for the national under-17 basketball team, she switched to football.
Akhona Makalima (South Africa)
An international football referee from South Africa, Akhona Zennith Makalima was born on March 27, 1988, and has been classified as a FIFA designated international referee since 2014.
From King Hintsa FET College, she received a national diploma in human resource management. She was added to the FIFA Women’s World Cup officiating pool on January 9, 2023, by FIFA, which was held in Australia.
AFCON 2023: Guinea ๐ฌ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/9IGk5V6Eoe
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Rivet Maria Pakuita Cinquela (Mauritius)
The Women’s AFCON final in 2022 pitted South Africa and Morocco against her as the fourth referee. She was selected to supervise the Olympic women’s football matches in Tokyo 2020 as one of the officials.
Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)
Diana Chikotesha will be the first female referee from Zambia to compete in the men’s AFCON competition. Additionally, she competed in Australia and New Zealand for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. She is going to help the referee during matches.