By Mike Oboh
Match officials for Friday’s 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying round, first leg match between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire have arrived in the Federal Capital, Abuja.
The Confederation of African Football appointed Burkinabe official Jacqueline Nikiema as referee, with her compatriot Rahamatou Traore as assistant referee 1 and Abra Sitsofe Agbedanou from Togo as assistant referee 2. Another Togolese, Edoh Kindedji is the fourth official.
Christine Enyonam Ziga from Ghana is the match commissioner while Tempa N’dah Francois will serve as the referee assessor.
Nine –time African champions, Nigeria’s Super Falcons will tackle the Lady Elephants at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Friday, 18th February with kick-off fixed for 4pm.
Both teams will clash in the reverse fixture at the Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan on Wednesday, 23rd February, with the winner over two legs to earn the ticket to the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July.
Nine other fixtures are on the cards, with four of them activating their opening legs Wednesday. Burundi will host Djibouti while Namibia are guests of Zambia, and Senegal and Mali clash in Dakar. Burkina Faso are away to Guinea-Bissau in the city of Bissau. Togo and Gabon will square up on Thursday, with the remaining half of the fixtures opening on Friday.
Hosts Morocco and Uganda, benefitting from Kenya’s withdrawal, have already qualified.
ALL THE MATCHES
Wednesday 16 February: Burundi Vs Djibouti; Zambia Vs Namibia; Guinea-Bissau Vs Burkina Faso; Senegal Vs Mali
Thursday 17 February: Togo Vs Gabon
Friday 18 February: Zimbabwe Vs Botswana; South Africa Vs Algeria; Tunisia Vs Equatorial Guinea; Cameroon Vs The Gambia; Nigeria Vs Cote d’Ivoire
