A Nigerian female referee, Basheer Salisu has been named among three other female referees to officiate for the first time at a men’s football competition – the 2019 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) in Tanzania.
The trio of Jonesia Rukyaa Kabakana who hails from Tanzania, Kenya’s Mary Wanjiru Njoroge and Lidwine Rakotozafinoro from Madagascar were among the 29-match officials listed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the 2019 U-17 AFCON.
Basheer Salisu is the only Nigerian referee on the list for the competition.
According to CAF in a statement:
“The historic 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 affects their progress and development.”
According to CAF, the 29 referees will attend a training course ahead of preparation for the tournament in Morocco scheduled to hold from March 31 to April 4 2019 in Morocco.
During the course, 15 referees and 14 assistant referees from 25 countries will undergo a medical, physical and theoretical test for the 2019 U-17 AFCON final tournament scheduled for April 14-28, 2019 in Tanzania.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will compete in Group A along with hosts Tanzania, Angola and Uganda.
