The Confederation of African Football has appointed Kenyan official, Josephine Wanjiku, as referee for next week’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier between Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, and their South African counterparts, Bantwana, slated for Pretoria.

The Flamingos and Bantwana will clash starting 3pm South Africa time (2pm Nigeria) on Saturday, 8th March in the first leg of a second-round fixture, 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, Bantwana crushed their counterparts from Gabon 21-2 on aggregate, winning 12-1 in Gabon and then running away 9-1 winners 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.

Both teams will battle things out in the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo on Saturday, 15th March, with the winner on aggregate progressing to the third round of the qualification campaign.    

This year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup (the competition becomes an annual event from this year) will be hosted by Morocco, 17 October – 8 November, with Africa to present 5 teams (including host nation Morocco) at the finals, which has also been expanded to a 24-nation championship.

The Flamingos, who reached the quarter-finals at last year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in the Dominican Republic, have been in camp at the Remo Stars Institute, Ikenne-Remo for a couple of weeks in preparation for the clash with the Bantwana.

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