Fourteen young referees have been selected by the West African Football Union Zone B to officiate at the second WAFU-B U17 Girls Tournament in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
The officials emerged from a Young Talents refereeing course held in Ghana about six months ago, with two referees chosen from each of the zone’s seven member countries.
The tournament will run from September 15 to 28 and bring together some of the region’s emerging female football talents.
Nigeria’s Flamingos have also arrived in Abidjan ahead of their trip to Yamoussoukro. Head coach Hakeem Busari named 20 players for the competition.
The tournament will provide Nigeria and Ghana with valuable preparation for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, where both countries will represent Africa alongside Kenya and Zambia.
Nigeria have been drawn against North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland in Group B, while Ghana will face Canada, Brazil and Norway in Group C.
The Flamingos will now begin their WAFU-B campaign against Niger Republic on Wednesday after Benin Republic pulled out, replacing the originally scheduled opening clash with Ghana.
