FIFA approved the appointment of three South Sudanese female referees as international female referees.

FIFA has approved the appointment of three South Sudanese female referees as international female referees.

Central referee Elizabeth Silvestro, first Assistant referee Jane Charles, and second Assistant referee Josephine Martin. FIFA recently cleared all of them.

Rwanda referee Salima Rhadia Mukansanga made history as the first-ever woman referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, blowing the whistle for Zimbabwe’s surprising 2-1 victory against Guinea.

The 35-year-old, who had previously acted as the fourth official during Malawi’s match against Guinea, took command of the Group B match at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

She headed an all-female match officials team, with assistant referees Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) directing the lines and Bouchra Karboubi adjudicating VAR (Morocco).

For the authorities, the match was pretty uneventful, with Naby Keita’s second yellow card of the tournament late on being the big talking point, since he is now sidelined for Guinea’s Round of 16 encounter.

Caf Head of Referees Eddy Maillet said before of the match that this historic event was the consequence of Caf’s unequivocal dedication and investment in enhancing and advancing the level of officiating in Africa.