Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-03-12 03:07:59
Nigeria, Africa’s highest-ranked team, is set to face off against South Africa, the reigning African champions, in the first leg of their women’s Olympic football tournament final qualifying fixture. The match will take place at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on April 5, with kick-off scheduled for 4.00 p.m. The center referee for the game will be Algeria’s Ghada Mehat, assisted by her compatriots Asma Feriel Ouahab and Lamia Atman as assistant referee one and fourth official, respectively. Mariem Cheddad from Mauritania will serve as assistant referee two. Former FIFA referee Fadouma Dia from Senegal will act as the referee assessor, while Christine Ziga from Ghana will be the match commissioner.
In the return leg of the fixture, which is set to take place in South Africa on April 9 (venue to be confirmed), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Tunisian official Dorsaf Ganouati as the referee. She will be assisted by Houda Afine and Emna Ajbouni from Tunisia as assistant referee one and fourth official, respectively, with Egypt’s Yara Atef Abdelfattah serving as assistant referee two. The referee assessor for this leg will be Agar Mezing from Cameroon, with Cindy Dludlu from eSwatini acting as commissioner.
The Super Falcons secured their spot in this final qualifying fixture by defeating Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses with a single goal over two legs, scored by Esther Okoronkwo at the MKO Abiola National Stadium. Meanwhile, Banyana Banyana emerged victorious over Tanzania by a score of 4-0 over two legs in Dar es Salaam and Nelspruit.
The winner of this fixture over two legs will earn a place alongside 15 other senior teams from around the world in the women’s Olympic football tournament in Paris, which is set to commence on July 16. The stakes are high as both Nigeria and South Africa look to showcase their talent and skill on the global stage.
