Bouchra Karboubi made history when she became the first female centre referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations, doing so in the final Group A game between Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, which she described as “a serious challenge”.
Karboubi’s presence drew global attention in a game where she was also flanked female assistant referees.
It represented a big leap for the Moroccan who was also made history at the 2021 AFCON when she was the first woman to lead VAR during the final between Senegal and Egypt.
“The Guinea Bissau – Nigeria match was a serious challenge for me. We had to show that we are here, the first women’s referee trio. So, we had no room for error because we did our best to live up to the trust that CAF placed in us,” Karboubi told CAF website.
She continued: “Refereeing this match was an honor for me. During the last AFCON, I was the first woman to do VAR, I was in the final and on this AFCON, I am a central referee. It was a pride for me to represent African women and to represent refereeing in Africa.”
“When I found out, the emotion was enormous. I was happy, I’m not saying there was no stress, but the stress stops as soon as we kick off. So, it was a pride for me to represent African women in general.
Bouchra Karboubi casually officiating a #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 game! ????#EmpoweringOurGame pic.twitter.com/bJvBZTS4C1
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) January 22, 2024
Karboubi concluded by advising young women who will want to take a cue from her achievement.
“I will tell young girls who have a passion, who have a goal, to work, to never give up because each path has its own challenges, and we must not give up. We must continue and with the grace of God, we can get where we want to go,” she said.
Karboubi came to the limelight when she officiated the first group game of the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021.
