The WAFU A tournament, a level test for women referees
Malang Diédhiou, head of refereeing in West A Zone, explains the decision to entrust this qualifying tournament only to the women referees. For him, this test will show the levels of these match officials for the proposals during CAF and FIFA tournaments.
Question: In this qualifying tournament for the African Ladies' Champions League, we noticed the exclusive presence of women referees, why?
Answer: This is our first ladies' tournament and it is true that at the level of FIFA and CAF, we have become accustomed to mixing women and men during competitions. But at the level of our zone, we took the option of making the inventory with the women referees and this tournament is welcome to get a clear idea. After this tournament, it would be easier for us when it comes to making proposals for CAF and FIFA competitions. In our opinion, it is not wise to select men where we need to get an exact idea of the level of women. Regarding the Ladies Inspectors, there are quite a few in the area, so no need to call in the men.
Is this tournament an opportunity to get an idea of the quality of women referees?
Absolutely. This is what explains this choice. And we will also have the opportunity to see them again at the men's tournaments. I told them that it is not a gift that I am giving them by choosing only women for this Mindélo tournament. People have to work to earn those selections to officiate in tournaments. Because the goal is to bring out the best.
How many referees do we have for this tournament?
I selected six women referees and 10 assistants. For some countries like Senegal, we have a duo, Mauritania and Gambia each moved a trio, Mali and Guinea came with duos. Cape Verde, we are still waiting, none of the referees summoned unfortunately arrived because of the distance between the islands. This is a false note since we wanted to see the Cape Verdean referees at work that we are slow to see officiating in tournaments in the area.
What is the level of women's refereeing in your area?
We have confirmed referees who have had the chance to do great competitions. This is the case of the trio of Mauritania, the Gambians and Malians have whistled competitions and a Malian is also a candidate for a FIFA tournament. Overall, what we saw during the training sessions reassures us about the standards of modern refereeing. During training, they responded favorably.
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