Nigerian female referee to officiate at 2019 U-17 AFCON

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.

“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,” CAF said in a statement on its official website.

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.