Meet Salima Mukansanga, the first African female referee to officiate in a FIFA World Cup

Ahead of the start of the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) made history by listing female referees among its 36 officials. Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga, Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan and Stephanie Frappart of France are the three female officials in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. Mukansanga made history in Qatar by becoming the first African woman to officiate a men's World Cup match. She was the fourth official during France vs Australia match. 

FIFA World Cup 2022: A look into Salima Mukansanga's career 

Before Qatar 2022, Salima Mukansanga had made history after being named official for the Africa Cup of Nations 2022 (AFCON). Mukansanga's biggest landmark of her refereeing career before the FIFA World Cup 2022 was officiating the  Zimbabwe vs Guinea match in AFCON. She had become the first female referee to officiate a match in the 65-year history of the AFCON Cup of Nations. She was the fourth official during Guinea vs Malawi match which Guinea won 1-0. The first African female referee Rwanda also officiated games in the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

The journey to the top hasn't been a smooth ride having to face rejection during the early days. Mukansanga was initially rejected by the Rwandan FA on account of her age, having approached them about joining a referee's course straight out of secondary school. Following the rejection, she first taught herself the basics of officiating, and the Laws of the Game, and was eventually given the opportunity of studying with other new referees.

In an interview with BBC, Mukansanga said "I didn't know there is a lot to do - laws to follow, a mentality to follow, professionalism inside - but I started to learn step-by-step. It was very difficult. When you are reading the laws of the game, it's easy to understand but inside the field of play, it needs some time to have a smell for the job."

Salima Mukansanga shares her thoughts on Women referees in FIFA World Cup 

Apart from Mukansanga, Frappart and Yamashita, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will also witness female assistant referees which will be Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the United States. Talking about the appointment of women referees at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Mukansanga said, "We are going to work together for the success of women. If a woman is supporting another woman, of course, you are going to see fruits. There are barriers, obstacles and challenges. There is nothing to do about them than for us to fight with a strong mentality, commitment and full engagement - then we will overcome."