6 Arrested for Insulting 1st Female World Cup Referee

Rwandan authorities on Saturday said they had arrested six people for allegedly hurling insults at Salima Mukansanga, the Rwandese female referee who made history as one of the first woman referees chosen for the men’s World Cup.

Mukansanga (34) took charge of Kiyovu Football Club’s 0-0 draw against Gasogi United on 20 January in Nyamata, south of Kigali.

Some Kiyovu fans repeatedly chanted offensive slurs at Mukansanga, calling her “a prostitute”, while others wanted to physically attack her after the game but were stopped by the security.

Thierry Murangira, the spokesman for the Rwanda Investigative Bureau (RIB), told AFP that three women and three men were arrested on Thursday. Said Murangira:

“Those arrested are being investigated for hurling insults in public and for discrimination. They are suspected to have committed these crimes during a football match between Kiyovu FC and Gasogi United and they are now in the custody of RIB

Investigations will continue as we prepare their dossier to be submitted to the prosecutors, while we continue to search for others who were involved in this crime.”

The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) this week launched a probe into the matter and said measures will be taken by the disciplinary committee after the probe.

Mukansanga was among three women on the list of 36 referees selected by FIFA to referee the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. She made history last year by becoming the first woman to referee at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mukansanga also officiated at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.