Africa-Press – Eswatini. Not a dream start to 2023.
Top Eswatini referee Letticia Viana has not been listed among the match officials for the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be staged in Australia and New Zealand, this year.
After making history in officiating in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) section of the Under-17s FIFA World Cup in India in October last year, Viana was a contender for officiating on the biggest stage in women football. However, she was unlucky not to make the cut when the final list was announced this past Monday.
“A total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs) will form FIFA Team One. They have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on the officials’ quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years. For the first time in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, six female VMOs have also been selected,” reads a statement from FIFA.
Among the notable appointees is South Africa’s Akhona Makalima. Makalima was the first certified female soccer referee in South Africa. She officiates for Fifa, the Premier Soccer League, the Sasol Women’s League and the South African Football Association (SAFA). Makalima will represent the continent together with Vincentia Amedome of Togo, Bouchra Karboubi from Morocco and Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda, who officiated at the 2022 Fifa Men’s World Cup in Qatar. The Women’s World Cup will run from July 20 to August 20.
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