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CAF appoints Nigeria’s Yemisi Akintoye to officiate Senegal vs Kenya WAFCON clash
Nigeria’s FIFA-badged referee, Yemisi Akintoye, has been appointed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the centre referee for Thursday’s crucial Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Group A encounter between Senegal and Kenya.
The match will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, with kick-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Nigerian time.
The appointment represents another vote of confidence in the Nigerian official, who was initially selected as the fourth official for Senegal’s opening Group A fixture against Algeria, which the Teranga Lionesses lost 2-0 on Sunday at the Stade d’Honneur d’Oujda in Oujda.
For Thursday’s encounter, Akintoye will lead a multinational team of match officials drawn from across the continent.
She will be assisted by Yekini Shitou of Benin Republic as Assistant Referee One, while Ngarassoum Victorine of Chad will serve as Assistant Referee Two. Anstino Twanyanyukwa of Namibia has been appointed as the fourth official.
CAF also named Fanta Idrissa Lone of Mali as the Reserve Assistant Referee, while Letticia Antonella of Eswatini will oversee the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties. Lumbizai Musawa has been designated as the Assistant VAR.
The fixture carries significant importance for both teams following disappointing starts to their campaigns.
Senegal will be seeking to bounce back from their opening defeat to Algeria, while Kenya are equally desperate to revive their hopes after suffering a heavy 4-0 loss to tournament hosts Morocco in their first Group A outing.
Akintoye’s appointment further highlights the growing recognition of Nigerian match officials on the continental stage as CAF continues to entrust them with high-profile fixtures at major competitions.
