Rwandan Referee Makes History, Becomes 1st Female to Officiate at AFCON in Tough Encounter

• Salima Mukansanga was on Monday, January 10, in charge of the African Cup of Nations tie between Guinea and Malawi
• The 34-year-old Rwandan is now the first female referee to be in charge of a game in the African Cup of Nations
• 2021 African Cup of Nations is currently going on in Cameroon and Algeria are the reigning champions

Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga on Monday, January 10, made history by becoming the first woman to ever officiate at the African Cup of Nations which is an incredible record.

Before the 34-year-old got the chance to referee the Group B match between Guinea and Malawi, Salima Mukansanga had undergone a series of training and has many times acted as the 4th official.

Salima is one of the most respected female officiators in football, having already taken charge of games at the Women’s World Cup, Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and the CAF Women’s Champions League.

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According to the report on Versus and GOAL Africa, Salima Mukansanga's officiating was impressive in the match between Guinea and Malawi.

What was the result of the match?

Issiaga Sylia scored the only goal in the 35h minute that helped Guinea to record a 1-0 win over Malawi in their first game at the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

When did Salima Mukansanga start refereeing?

Salima Mukansanga is said to have been involved in active referring for the past ten years and she has also officiated at an Olympics game.

Eguavoen slams Ighalo and Dennis, questions their commitment towards Eagles after AFCON Miss

Earlier Sports Brief had reported how Augustine Eguavoen slammed Super Eagles players Odion Ighalo and Emmanuel Dennis after both players pulled out of the Nigerian squad to the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.

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Both players had initially been named on the Super Eagles 28-man squad to represent Nigeria at the bi-annual competition but had to be dropped from the team following a tussle with their club sides for their release.

Watford who Emmanuel Dennis has been outstanding for this season in the English premier league insisted the call-up letter from the Nigeria Football Federation for Dennis came very late and therefore they wouldn’t be releasing the Nigerian international for the tournament.