Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed four Moroccan women to the refereeing crew for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2024, scheduled from July 5 to 26.
Central referees Bouchra Karboubi and Sabah Sadir will be joined by assistant referees Fathia Jermoumi and Ihssane Nouajli in a record 46-strong officiating team, surpassing the 40 selected for the 2022 edition.
CAF’s final list includes 18 referees, 18 assistant referees, and 10 VAR officials representing 30 countries. Host nation Morocco contributes the highest number of on-field officials this year.
Karboubi has already made history. Earlier this year, she became the first North African woman to officiate a men’s Africa Cup of Nations match, taking charge of the Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria group game in Côte d’Ivoire. She was also selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic football games and officiated the Group C opener between Spain and Japan.
Sadir has officiated extensively in youth World Cup qualifiers and is steadily building her profile in CAF and FIFA competitions. Jermoumi and Nouajli, meanwhile, have climbed the domestic ladder to earn continental recognition.
The quartet’s call-up underlines the Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s growing investment in the development of female referees.
Eddy Maillet, CAF Director of Refereeing, “Africa has made serious leaps in the development of women match officials… To fine-tune the last details, we are organising a preparation course for all the referees of the competition, starting from June 25 in Rabat.”
Morocco is hosting WAFCON for the second time running, following the successful 2022 edition that saw the Atlas Lionesses qualify for their first-ever Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
This year’s matches will be held across six stadiums in five cities: Larbi Zaouli and Pere Jego stadiums in Casablanca, the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, the Honor Stadium in Oujda, and the Municipal Stadium in Berkane.
