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Cameroonian Referee Aline Guimbang A Etong to Officiate South Africa-Nigeria WAFCON Clash

Published

4 weeks ago

6:08 pm

Cameroonian Referee Aline Guimbang A Etong to Officiate South Africa-Nigeria WAFCON Clash

Cameroonian referee Aline Guimbang A Etong has been appointed to officiate today’s TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final clash between South Africa and Nigeria in Casablanca.

The highly anticipated encounter is scheduled for 9:00pm local time at the Moulay Rachid Stadium, with both African heavyweights battling for a place in the semi-finals and a crucial pathway towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

The winner of the South Africa-Nigeria encounter will claim one of Africa’s two tickets to the inter-confederation play-offs tournament, which will determine additional qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The inter-confederation play-off tournament will be staged in two phases, with the first phase scheduled for November-December 2026 and the second phase in February 2027.

Guimbang A Etong will be supported by Morocco’s Soukaina Hamdi as Assistant Referee 1 and Mariem Chedad of Mauritania as Assistant Referee 2.

Egyptian official Shahenda Saad Ali has been appointed as the fourth official, while Fides Bangurambona of Burundi will serve as the Reserve Assistant Referee.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team comprises Lahlou Benbraham of Algeria as VAR, with Morocco’s Zakaria Bouchtlaoui and Tunisia’s Dorsaf Ganouati serving as Assistant Video Assistant Referees.

Guimbang A Etong’s appointment places her at the centre of one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the tournament, with Nigeria’s Super Falcons seeking to overcome reigning African champions South Africa and keep their 2027 World Cup dream alive.

The encounter renews a growing rivalry between two of Africa’s leading women’s football nations, with both sides aware that victory carries significance beyond a place in the WAFCON semi-finals.

For Nigeria, the quarter-final presents an immediate opportunity to put their disappointing campaign setback behind them and secure a route into the global play-off pathway. South Africa, meanwhile, will be determined to continue their continental title defence while securing their own route towards Brazil 2027.

With the stakes extending beyond WAFCON progression, the South Africa-Nigeria showdown promises to be a defining fixture in Africa’s race for places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams. In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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