For the first time in over 65 years, a female referee will officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The woman, Salma Radia Mukansanga, is a 30-year-old Rwandan top referee who made headlines for officiating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics games. She is set to make history again as she takes center stage during the 34th edition of AFCON.
The AFCON tournament is set to take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2021.
While this development may come as a surprise to many, those who have followed Mukansanga’s referee career will say it is a merited decision that will improve the quality of the tournament.
Born and raised in Rusizi, a small town in Rwanda, Mukansanga had never wanted to be a referee. She had initially wanted to be a professional basketball player when she was a teenager and she later went to the University of Gitwe and earned her Bachelor’s degree in nursing and midwifery.
But, 15 years ago, she eventually decided to be a football referee. Her big step to being regarded as one of the best female referees in Africa started when she officiated her first international tournament which was the 2015 women’s All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
In 2016, she was one of the 47 referees who officiated the Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon. She officiated at the 2018 U-17 Women’s World Cup, 2019 Women’s World Cup in France and she was one of the three African referees at 2021’s FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside Gladys Lengwe of Zambia and Ethiopia’s Lidya Tafesse Abebe.
Since 2018, she has officiated matches in the 1st Rwandan men’s division and more international matches.
