For the first time, women referees is expected to hand games of the opposite sex on the continent, debuting at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzania 2019.
The landmark conclusion was the highlight of the Confederation of African Football, CAF Referees Committee meeting held on February 26th at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, and had in attendance CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad.
The decision is a testament to CAF’s commitment to developing the women’s football. It will also give women match officials a bigger platform to expose their talents and also gain experience at the competitive level, considering the limited matches and competitions, which often affect their progress and development.
In line with that, the trailblazers consist of Tanzanian referee, Jonesia Rukyaa Kabakama and assistant referees’ Mary Wanjiru Njoroge of Kenya and Lidwine Rakotozafinoro of Madagascar are among the pre-selected 29-match officials to undergo a training course in Casablanca, Morocco from March 31st to April 4th this year, to fine-tune for the tournament.
