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Meet Salima Mukansanga, the first woman set to referee an AFCON game
Salima
Mukansanga is primed to make history at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations,
where she will become the first woman to referee a match at the men's
continental showpiece.
The
tournament in Cameroon is the latest step in a rise to prominence for
Mukansanga, who was the fourth official for Guinea's 1-0 victory over Malawi on
Monday, and is expected to take the reins as a central referee later this week.
The
33-year-old Rwandan official was involved in matches at the Tokyo Olympics and
the Women's World Cup in France, and now eyes the Nations Cup as an opportunity
to prove that there should be no barriers for women referees within the men's
game.
"We'll
show the world we can do something," she told ESPN, ahead of her debut as
the first female central referee at the biennial continental showpiece. "We
can show that we can referee a man's game at a tough level... and succeed.
"The
Laws of the Game are the same, we're now using VAR, it's the same as the World
Cup, the Olympics, and it's a great opportunity for me and for other women. "I
want other women to support me, other woman referees and women all over the
world, because we can do something, we are ready; the preparation is the same,
and we have the courage to succeed."
She's
one of four female officials at the tournament -- alongside Bouchra Karboubi
and Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), and Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) -- although
only Mukansanga has been designated as a primary referee. "I was so
excited, very happy and a bit scared to be appointed for the AFCON," she
continued. "It's a great achievement, honour, and story to be appointed as
the first woman referee at the tournament.
"I
thought maybe they'd made a mistake with my name, when I found it among the
list of referees, but now I'm here, so it means they saw something in me, they
believe in me, and they're convinced that I can do something. "I know I'm
capable, I trust myself, and I trust what I'm doing."
Certainly,
she's received an endorsement from CAF's Head of Referees Eddy Maillet, who
made the final decision on which officials will take part in the tournament. "The
match officials were selected based on their experience, their abilities and
their current form," Maillet wrote in a statement as seen by ESPN. "Only
the best officials will be here for this extraordinary event."
Mukansanga's
imminent debut is another new landmark for female referees, and could come only
days after Rebecca Welch became the first woman referee to take charge of an FA
Cup third round tie when she officiated Plymouth Argyle's victory over
Birmingham City at the weekend.
Mukansanga
believes that participation at the Tokyo Olympics, where she officiated Team
GB's matches against Chile and Australia, and the meeting between the
Netherlands and China, has prepared her well for the challenges of the Nations
Cup. "The Olympics are one of the biggest competitions in the world, for
me it was a major event and I learned a lot," she continued.
"We
would encounter unfamiliar situations during the course of the games, so
[during the pre-competition seminar] we were taught some skills to use during
the games, with teams, and with VAR. "In Africa, in my country, we aren't
using VAR, so that was huge, and I learned a lot, many important tools to be
read for the games.
"The
Olympics were a challenge, but they helped me be seen, gave me an image where
everyone recognised me, and people think: 'this lady can do something, this
lady is ready'." Despite the formative experience of the Olympics, and the
way that increased Mukansanga's prominence within the African arena, she acknowledges
that taking the reins of a Nations Cup game will bring some specific
challenges.
"Of
course, men's games at this level aren't like women's games, with experienced
and professional players, the speed of the game, the skills of the teams. The
kind of football you should expect and the understanding of the game are at the
highest level," she acknowledged. "All those things require me to be
at a top level and be ready to deal with them, this means being well prepared,
[knowing] the laws of the game, and their application, interpretation and
implementation.
"The
most important thing is to be ready for the demands of the game, working hard
of course with my fellow referees. Together with appropriate teamwork and
communication skills, we will succeed together." It's clear that beyond
the technical aspects of refereeing, Mukansanga's desire to reach the pinnacle
of the game is fuelled by a love of football from a grassroots level, having
played the sport as a youngster only to find herself fascinated by the person
in the middle.
"I
used to play football at primary and secondary school, but when I used to watch
games, I liked to watch the one who was on the field of play, who was taking
decisions, leading players, talking to the players, the one who people are
respecting on the field of play, and that person interested me,"
Mukansanga revealed. "I wanted to be like that person on the field of
play, I wanted to do what he was doing and I needed to learn more about that
person, the one leading the game, giving them cards, sanctioning them. That's
why I had this passion."
After
initially being rejected by the Rwandan FA on account of her age, having
approached them about joining a referees course straight out of secondary
school, she taught herself the basics of officiating, the Laws of the Game, and
was eventually given the opportunity of studying with other new referees.
Having
been given her initial formation, she returned to her hometown and began to
officiate matches for veterans, then amateur players, and then eventually
worked her way up through the local footballing pyramid, starting with third
division men's games.
After
reaching the domestic top flight, continental and, subsequently, international
responsibilities have followed, and Mukansanga is acutely aware of how her
passion for refereeing and love of the sport have transformed her life in ways
she hadn't expected. "I've already reached a place I didn't expect to
reach, [realised] dreams I was having, and travelled from Africa to Europe,
from Europe to America, because of refereeing," she added.
"I've
travelled a lot, and begun to learn how other countries are, how teams are from
other countries, different confederations, continents, and then there you are
-- from Africa -- and you are refereeing games from European teams or American
teams. "Not everyone can get this chance, so to find yourself with these
teams, compared to the teams you used to officiate whose level is not so good,
and it is something which makes me feel so excited."
Mukansanga, who officiated the world's highest-altitude football match on Mount Kilimanjaro in 2017, has set her sights on the men's World Cup in the future, but for now it's the Nations Cup, and the prospect of making history on Africa's grandest stage, that has her eagle-eyed attention.