Sweat drenched but beaming following a 90-minute early morning workout, Carine Atezambong Fomo enthused about her next assignment at the women’s Africa Cup of Nations – assistant referee at Wednesday’s quarter-final between Morocco and Botswana at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat.
The 36-year-old from Yaounde was an assistant referee at the opening game on 2 July between Morocco and Burkina Faso at the same venue and South Africa’s second Group C fixture against Burundi at the Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
“The other two went really well,” she said. “It’s exciting as you feel that each match could be your last and you want to give your best so that the match goes well.”
Hours before the coaches, captains and star players started to unfurl their thoughts about the quarter-finals and the historic import of reaching next year’s World Cup, the officials who could make or break those aspirations were limbering up for the games with the same yearnings.
Two teams of eight at separate ends of an annex pitch near the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium jogged, jumped, squatted, stretched and sprinted in the early morning sunshine.
Training
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) appointed Eddie Maillet a couple of years ago to be director of referees at its tournaments such as the Cup of Nations.
His lieutenants barked commands for the routines as he prowled around the field, scanning, shouting encouragements and urging perfections.
A six-pack of men seemingly in search of their lost phalanx trotted around the perimeter of the pitch as the women began to organize players for penalty area drills.
The muscles were later identified as the video assistant refereeing (VAR) team. "They're Fifa referees so they have to keep fit," explained one of the Maillet's minions.
Routines
First came contact in the penalty area. A ball was kicked to a player just outside the box who took it in to be confronted by a defender and a challenge. Did he fall? Or was he pushed? Whistle. Decision. Penalty? Corner? Or goal kick?
And then the drills with the assistant referees to determine offsides. A pass was played through a space amid a flurry of legs. Goal stands. Onside. Another pass is offside. And so the vignettes continue.
“It’s what you do, how you work in training and your attitude to training that help to convince the selectors,” said Jerome Damon, one of the members of the Caf referees committee.
While he pronounced, the officials for the quarter-finals went through their cooling down stretches. Banter and bonhomie to soothe the incipient aches.
“The more we go to tournaments the better the standards will become,” added Fomo who has been overseeing women’s and men’s matches in the Cameroon national leagues since 2010 and internationally for the women since 2014.
End
Some officials will end their tournament on Wednesday. Thirty-two started the 12-team competition and referee chiefs will cull around a dozen to leave a competitive pool in Morocco for the remaining 10 games to avoid complacency.
With the 2022 women’s Cup of Nations being used as World Cup qualifiers, the four teams reaching the semi finals will advance to next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
The four losers will battle for the two places in the World Cup intercontinental play-offs.
Still enough time to shine in Morocco, said Fomo.
“Like everyone here, I want to go far not only in the competition and also to do a World Cup,” she added. “That really is everyone’s ambition.”
