Rwandan referee, Salima Mukansanga has been chosen to officiate at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. She is now the first African woman in the history of the World Cup to referee at the men’s FIFA World Cup.
Earlier this year, Mukansanga became the first woman to referee an Africa Cup of Nations match, leading an all-female officiating team.
“We clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender,” Pierluigi Collina, the head of FIFA’s Referees Committee, said while announcing referee appointments.
Mukansanga, 34, has also presided over matches in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The Rwandan had had dreams of playing basketball professionally, but by the time she turned 20, she was already officiating in the domestic women’s league in her own nation.
“I liked basketball, and wanted to take it very seriously, but access to basketball facilities and coaches was hard. That’s how I ended up in refereeing, which I have also never regretted. I love it,” Mukansanga said in an interview with New Times in 2019.
