The WAFCON referees have been outstanding in this competition so far and the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, as journalists were allowed insight into the preparations of the match officials ahead of the tournament’s knockout stages. Despite the intensity of the physical work and exercises were put through just before facing the media, the referees welcomed the press with a smile and embracing their central role in the tournament.
One of the most prominent referees on the continent and one of the most experienced, Moroccan Bouchra Karboubi, has been a trailblazer in the sport and she has been enjoying officiating in her home country. “It is wonderful to see women's referees officiating in the matches of a competition of this magnitude. There are some men who are present on VAR duty and we help each other in the most beautiful way, but the vast majority of referees here are ladies and we have received the promise that at the next competition it will be exclusively women”, says Karboubi. With Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga, Karboubi made history when they officiated at the recent men’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, and the Moroccan referee is happy that in general African women’s refereeing is developing well.
Cameroonian assistant referee, Carine Atezambong, is delighted with the use of VAR technology for the first time in this edition, from start to finish. “As a woman, it's first and foremost my competition and that of all women. Even if I officiate in men's matches, there are a lot of novelties in this edition. This is the very first time that VAR has been used for this WAFCON and it is the very first time that the refereeing body is mainly made up of women. CAF has put all the means in place to develop women's football in all its aspects. There were three intense seminars to train female referees in VAR technology. Officiating a match with VAR is very different, than leading a match without this technology, so it's a huge step we're taking,” said Atezambong.
Mamadou Haidara, CAF’s referee manager, has been very satisfied with the level of refereeing during the group stage of the WAFCON. “There is no match which one can say has been affected by the decisions of the referees. We could see the result of all the work we did before the tournament. It is the result of a development plan that we have put in place. The women referees were assistants to male referees at first, before having women’s only sessions. Three months ago, only two women were qualified and used to VAR, Bouchra Karboubi and Salima Mukansanga. We did two internships, one in Cairo and one in Rabat, and we managed to qualify all the referees and they are now all comfortable with this technology”, says Haidara. He takes great pride in CAF being one of the first confederations to use VAR in such a meaningful way in women's football. “Women’s African refereeing has a bright future ahead of it, I can assure you. We have competent referees who officiate in their respective local men's championships. Continuous work is the key to success,” says Haidara.
Mohamed Guezzaz, one of the instructors of referees at CAF, said the final preparations of referees for WAFCON started on June 25. “In the mornings, we insist on physical work, the afternoon is devoted to the theory, but also to the application of scenarios similar to what can happen on the field, whether for referees, assistants or VARs”, said Guezzaz. Regular debriefing sessions are held, preparatory matches take place, and there is a razor-sharp focus on preparing for the next round of matches. And as a high-quality team of professionals go through their paces in Rabat, at CAF there is a great sense of satisfaction and pride that the hard work that has been put in over many months and years are beginning to pay off.
Source: CAF