Four Moroccan Referees to Officiate CAF Women’s Champions League

Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced this week the final list of match officials for the Women’s Champions League set to take place in Rabat and Marrakech from October 30 to November 13.

With nine days left until the tournament, CAF revealed the 29 referees set to officiate the league, representing 23 nationalities. The official list includes 10 referees, 12 assistant referees, and seven video assistant referees (VAR).

Morocco will be represented in the three categories thanks to the selection of Fatima Zahra El Ajjani as a referee and Ihsane Nouajli as an assistant referee. Meanwhile, Zakaria Brinsi and Samir Guezzaz were listed among the video assistant referees.

Fatima Zahra El Ajjani, Zakaria Brinsi, and Samir Guezzaz have prior experience working with CAF as they were selected earlier this year as video referees for the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The selected match officials are expected to undergo training in Morocco from October 25 to 29 in preparation for the second edition of the pan-African football league.

The training is a common procedure that allows CAF “to keep a constant eye on health, fitness, performance and to ensure that each candidate arrives ready to compete,” says CAF Head of Refereeing and Football Technology Desire Noumandiez Doue.

“Before each of our major tournaments, potential referees are regularly monitored physically, technically and medically, both at the country and zone level,” Doue explained.

This year, CAF paid close attention to the training of women referees from Africa as 230 international women officials participated in workshops and training camps over the past 12 months in preparation for WAF Women’s Champions League.

“We are particularly proud of the women referees from Africa who are doing amazing work at FIFA level – from the FIFA Women’s U17 and the group that is preparing for the FIFA World Cup,” Doue emphasized.