The Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament kicked off in Cameroon on January 9. The Covid-19-delayed Nations Cup introduced a worthy couple to this year’s showpiece in; Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and female officials.

According to CAF, all 52 matches will use Video Assistant Referee. To top its list of new overtures, of the 63 top match officials for the tournament, four to officiate the Cameroon 2021 Cup of Nations matches are female — namely; Salima Mukasanga of Rwanda, Carine Atemzabong of Cameroon, Fatiha Jermoumi, and Bouchra Karboubi both from Morocco.

Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga has created history after the previous 32 editions of the flagship African tournament from 1957 were refereed exclusively by men. Mukansanga took charge of an Africa Cup of Nations match when Zimbabwe played Guinea in their Group B clash in Yaounde.

On January 10, Mukansanga officiated the match as the fourth official for the AFCON Group B match between Guinea and Malawi in Bafoussam. It meant she was the first woman to be appointed an official for an AFCON match.

Confederation of African Football head of referees, Eddy Maillet said it was a crucial moment in African football. He added that it was due to CAF’s “clear commitment and investment to improve and advance the standard of refereeing in Africa.”

Maillet said: “We are super proud of Salima because she has had to work exceptionally hard to be where she is today. We know that as a woman, she has had to overcome serious obstacles to reach this level, therefore she deserves a lot of credit.

“This moment is not just for Salima but for every young girl in Africa who has a passion for football and who sees herself as a referee in the future.”

The four women were also among 19 African referees chosen to officiate in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Mukansanga and Karboubi have been part of a select group of officials set to perform as head referees. Meanwhile, Atemzabong and Jermoumi performed assistant referee duties at the showpiece event.

A year later than planned due to Covid-19, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations has successfully kicked off in Cameroon. The opening match of the 33rd edition of AFCON took place in Yaoundé, the capital. In the spectacular opener, Cameroon came from behind to beat Burkina Faso. The Confederation of African Football has also increased the prize money by a total of US$1.850m.