Female Referee Trio Named For Total U-23 AFCON Egypt 2019

For the second time, the CAF Referees Committee has appointed female match officials for a men’s tournament - the upcoming Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019.

The appointments build on CAF’s commitment to include more female match officials in its competitions, which began with the appointment of three female match officials for the Total U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Tanzania last April, a first in the history of male CAF competitions.

At the U-23 AFCON scheduled for 8-22 November in Cairo, Rwandan referee Salma Mukasanga will lead the female match official trio, joined by assistant referees Diana Chikotesha and Fathia Jermoumi of Zambia and Morocco respectively.

The female trio have been included the 25-man list of match officials consisting of 12 referees and 13 assistant referees.

“With the U-23 AFCON serving as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games it will be very competitive, so having Salma (Mukasanga), one of our top referees, who of late officiated at last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, is a tremendous advantage for CAF. She will be supported at the U-23 AFCON by two equally skilled experts, Fathia (Jermouni) and Diana (Chikotesha),” Eddy Maillet, head of CAF Refereeing said.

Head of CAF Refereeing Eddy Maillet said: “With the U-23 AFCON serving as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games it will be very competitive, so having Salma (Mukasanga), one of our top referees, who of late officiated at last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, is a tremendous advantage for CAF. She will be supported at the U-23 AFCON by two equally skilled experts, Fathia (Jermouni) and Diana (Chikotesha).”

The tournament will see hosts Egypt in Group A with Mali, Cameroon and Ghana against title-holders Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa and Zambia will complete the pack in Group B.

The two venues for the U-23 AFCON are Cairo International Stadium and Al Salam Stadium. The teams to finish in the top three will qualify to represent Africa at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.