Namibia’s Antsino Twanyanyukwa has been appointed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the referee for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final, Afrosport reports.
Hosts Morocco will take on Nigeria’s Super Falcons in a crunch clash at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Saturday, with a new winner set to dethrone South Africa as the champions of African women’s football.
Twanyanyukwa, meanwhile, is set to make history as the first Namibian to officiate a WAFCON final, having impressed as one of the best-performing officials at the tournament.
“I didn’t expect this at all; I’m still in shock. But with God, all things are possible,” she said. “WAFCON is a major competition, and expectations are high. We have to go in with the mindset that the whole continent is watching and give our absolute best.
“Personally, I believe I have the talent and the potential. They’ve seen what I can do, and now it’s my opportunity to prove it; to show it on the pitch,” Twanyanyukwa added
The 33-year-old will lead an all-women officiating team for the final, highlighting CAF’s commitment towards women’s development in the sport.
Twanyanyukwa will be joined by Rwanda’s Alice Umutesi as Assistant Referee 1 and Tabara Mbodji of Senegal as Assistant Referee 2.
Another trailblazer, Salima Mukansanga, has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), The Rwandan is the one of the best officials on the continent of Africa, with experience across major events, including the WAFCON, Olympics, and FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Mukansanga caught the eye in 2022 when she became the first women to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). She will be flanked in the VAR booth by Eswatini’s Letticia Viana (AVAR 1) and Diana Chikotesha of Zambia (AVAR 2).
CAF Head of Refereeing, Desire Noumandiez Doue hailed Twanyanyukwa’s appointment and also praised the other officials for the hard work and transparency.
“Antsino has demonstrated all the qualities we look for. We’ve been monitoring her closely for the past three years, and she has done incredibly well. At the rate she is going, she’s certainly a potential candidate for the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Noumandiez.
Speaking on the others, he added: “Their performances have shown consistency in key areas: tactical awareness, anticipation, match control, and overall game management. The two assistants, in particular, are among a group of brilliant young referees emerging on the continent, and their improvement has been nothing short of impressive.
“Their appointment was informed by their consistent quality and performance. “It is the result of their hard work, both in training and in the matches they’ve officiated, as well as their overall readiness. This selection also reflects CAF’s commitment to fairness. It’s our way of saying: if you perform well, you deserve the best. And the referees selected for the final are among the best we have.”
