Nigeria blackout  as CAF named referees for U-23 AFCON

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),” explained

Eddy Maillet, Head of CAF Refereeing