THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Kenyan Josephine Wanjiku as the referee for next week’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier between Nigeria’s Flamingos and South Africa’s Bantwana in Pretoria.
The Flamingos and Bantwana will clash starting from 3pm South African time (2pm in Nigeria) on Saturday, March 8 in the first leg of their second-round tie at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in South Africa’s administrative capital.
While 2022 FIFA World Cup bronze medallists Nigeria drew bye to the second round, South Africa annihilated Gabon 21-2 on aggregate, winning 12-1 in Gabon and 9-1 on home soil.
CAF has also appointed Wanjiku’s compatriots Mary Njoroge, Elizabeth Njoroge and Juma Lucy Awino as assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively.
Cindy Barbara Dludlu from eSwatini will be the commissioner, with Moroccan Khadija Rezzag to be in the role of referee assessor.
The return leg is scheduled for the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo on Saturday, March 15, with the winners on aggregate progressing to the third round of the qualification campaign.
This year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (the competition becomes an annual event from this year) will be hosted by Morocco from October 17 to November 8, with Africa to present five teams (including host nation Morocco) at the tournament, which has also been expanded to a 24-nation championship.
The Flamingos, who reached the quarter-finals at last year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, have been in camp at the Remo Stars Institute, Ikenne-Remo for weeks in preparation for the clash with Bantwana.
