Kenyan football referee Mary Wanjiru Njoroge will once again officiate at a FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament after she was picked as part of the 55 assistant referees selected to do duty at the 2023 edition set to take place from 20 July to 20 August in the event set to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.Back in 2019, the trend-setting official became the first Kenyan female referee to do duty at the FIFA Women’s World Cup when she officiated in the tournament held in France.33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials appointed for @FIFAWWC Australia & New Zealand 2023™👉https://t.co/Hc8Hxzur5f pic.twitter.com/FksEhRLG9s— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) January 9, 2023 Initially, the decorated Kenyan official was selected for the playoff tournament that kicks off next month from 17-23 February 2023 in New Zealand before being confirmed for the main showpiece later in July.A total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees, and 19 video match officials (VMOs) will form the match officials selected for the event.1991 ➡️ 1999 ➡️ 2015 ➡️ 2019The @USWNT’s #FIFAWWC winning mentality has been passed down from one generation to the next 🏆— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) January 6, 2023 According to FIFA, the officials have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on the officials’ quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years.For the first time in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, six female Video Match Officials have also been selected.##NAJAVA_MECA_22525##“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected on-field match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide.We all remember the very successful FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France. The high standard of refereeing contributed significantly to that success. The aim for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 is to repeat that success and to convince again with excellent referees’ performances,” FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina said.Trans Nzoia Falcons rocked with bombshell sexual claims as abused girls pour their hearts outFacts about Mary NjorogeShe was also the first Kenyan to feature in the Under-20 Women World Cup held in Brittany, France on August 5-24, 2018 where she officiated in two matches.Her trend-setting does not stop with the women’s game as she was on the list when CAF broke new ground by including women referees for the first time to handle men’s tournaments, during the 2019, Under-17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) played in Tanzania.Njoroge has also been appointed to officiate the CAF Confederation Cup group stage match pitting Cameroon’s Coton Sport against Zambia’s NAPSA stars back in 2021.
