According to Bouchra Karboubi, officiating the Super Eagles vs. Guinea-Bissau match in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations presented a significant challenge for her.

Remember that after Rwandan Salima Kasagana officiated in the previous tournament, Karkoubi became the first Arab and the second African female referee to conduct a game in the African Cup of Nations for men’s football.

In a conversation with Cafonline, Karboubi acknowledged that it was a challenging test for her and that she was happy to represent female referees in Africa.

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“Refereeing this match was an honor for me. During the last AFCON, I was the first woman to do VAR, I was in the final and on this AFCON, I am a central referee.

“It was a pride for me to represent African women and to represent refereeing in Africa.

“The Guinea Bissau – Nigeria match was a serious challenge for me.

“We had to show that we are here, the first women’s referee trio.

“So, we had no room for error because we did our best to live up to the trust that CAF placed in us.

“It’s true that we got congratulated everywhere.

” We were very happy especially with the three women for being able to show that we can be there and that we can have the same competitiveness as the men.

” It wasn’t easy but we were able to show that we can be there and that we can do it.