Rabat – The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) announced that FIFA has selected three Moroccan female referees among the candidates to officiate at the U17 World Cup, which will take place in India on October 11-30.
Bouchra Karboubi features among the candidates as a main referee while Fatiha Jarmoumi and Soukaina Hamdi as assistant referees for the international tournament, noted the FRMF in a statement.
The Moroccan referees’ selection comes in recognition of the progress of women’s football in Morocco.
In June, Moroccan women’s football team U17 trashed Ghana 4-2 on penalties (2-2 on aggregate), making history by securing their first-ever World Cup qualification.
The under-17 Atlas Lionesses will compete in Group A of this year’s World Cup, alongside the host country India, the US, and Brazil.
Group B consists of Germany, Nigeria, Chile, and New Zealand, while Group C is composed of Spain, Colombia, Mexico, and China. Group D consists of Japan, Tanzania, Canada, and France.
Bouchra Karboubi and her two compatriots are strangers to global tournaments. The Moroccan referee was previously chosen by the FIFA in 2020 to officiate at the finals of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, alongsideHamdi and Jermoumi as assistant referees.
Born in Taza in 1988, Karboubi was raised in an environment that forbade her from following her passion, which was to play football.
In 2018, the African Football Confederation (CAF) appointed her among the first class category of referees. She oversaw several matches in the women division of the African Cup of Nations.
Read Also: Women’s Football: Morocco U17 Secures First-Ever World Cup Qualification
