Rwanda’s top woman referee Mukansanga Radia Salma has been named to the 75-woman list of match officials for FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.
The FIFA Referees Committee has selected 27 referees and 48 assistant referees, representing 42 different countries, for the Women’s World Cup.
The 28-year – arguably the best and most famous female referee the country has ever produced, Mukansanga was the sole African match official at the U17 Women’s World Cup.
This time, she is one of the only three African 27 centre referees/support referees who will handle this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup along with Gladys Lengwe of Zambia and Ethiopia’s Lidya Tafesse Abebe.
She is also the only female central referee in the ongoing 2018/2019 Azam Rwanda Premier League season.
Other African referees included in the 28 list of assistant referees include: Kwimbira Bernadettar (Malawi), Njoroge Mary (Kenya), Rakotozafinoro Lidwine (Madagascar) and Victoire Queency (Mauritius).
FIFA has not yet committed to the same video review system used at the men’s World Cup in Russia. The expected deadline to decide is a March 14-15 FIFA Council meeting in Miami.
A likely issue is potentially using male video assistant referees working with the all-female match official teams.
The Women’s World Cup runs June 7 to July 7 in Grenoble, Le Havre, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Reims, Rennes and Valenciennes.
List of Match Officials for France FIFA WWC 2019
Referees/Support Referees
AFC: JACEWICZ Kate (Australia), Qin Liang (China), Reibelt Casey (Australia), Yamashita Yoshimi (Japan) and Ri Hyang Ok (South Korea).
CAF: Abebe Lidya Tafesse (Ethiopia), Lengwe Gladys (Zambia) and Mukansanga Salma (Rwanda).
UEFA: Adamkova Jana (Czech Republic), Braz Sandra (Portugal), Frappart Stephanie (France), Hussein Riem (Germany), Kulcsar Katalin (Hungary), Monzul Kateryna (Ukraine), Pustov Oytova Anastasia (Russia), Staubli Esther (Swiss) and Steinhaus Bibiana (Germany).
CONCACAF: Beudoin Marie-Soleil (Canada), Borjas Melissa (Honduras), Chenard Carol Anne (Canada), Koroleva Ekaterina (USA) and Venegas Lucila (Mexico).
CONMEBOL: Alves Batista Edina (Brazil), Carvajal Maria (Chile), Fortunato Laura (Argentina) and Umpierrez Claudie (Uruguay).
OFC: Keighley Anna-Marie (New Zealand).
Assistant Referees
AFC: Bozono Makoto (Japan), Cui Yongmei (China), Fang Yan (China), Hagio Maiko (Japan), Hong Kum Nyo (PRK), Kim Kyoung Min (Korea), Lee Seul Gi (Korea) and Teshirogi Naomi (Japan).
CAF: Kwimbira Bernadettar (Malawi), Njoroge Mary (Kenya), Rakotozafinoro Lidwine (Madagascar) and Victoire Queency (Mauritius).
CONCACAF: Boudreau Chantal (Canada), Brown Princess (Jamaica), Caudillo Enedina (Mexico), Chavez Mayte (Mexico), Mariscal Felisha (USA), Nesbitt Kathryn (USA), Perello Shirley (Honduras) and Yee Sing Stephanie (Jamaica).
CONMEBOL: Amboya Monica (Ecuador), Back Neuza (Brazil), Blanco Mary (Colombia), De Almeida Mariana (Argentina), Mascarana Luciana (Uruguay), Sacilotti Tatiane (Brazil), Toloza Loreto (Chile) and Vasquez Leslie (Chile).
OFC: Jones Sarah (New Zealand) and Salamasina Maria (Samora).
UEFA: Ardasheva Oleksandra (Ukraine), Cockburn Kylie (Scotland), Iugulescu Petruta (Romania), kourompylia Chrysoula (Greece), Kung Susanne (Swiss), Kurochkina Ekaterina (Russia), Magnusson Julia (Sweden), Massey Sian (England), Nicolosi Manuela (France), O’neill Michelle (Ireland), Rafalski Katrin (Germany), Rashid Lisa (England), Ratajova Lucie (Czech Republic), Rodak Sanja (Croatia), Striletska Maryna (Ukraine), Sukenikova Maria (Slovakia), Tepusa Mihaela (Romania) and Torok Katarin (Hungary).
