BBC Sport showcased Moroccan referee Bouchra Karkoubi’s professionalism during the AFCON 2023, a position inspired by her original profession as a police officer in Meknes City, Morocco.
“Being a policewoman for me, means applying justice. As a referee, it’s me who applies the law and it’s a win-win because it’s a job and it’s my passion and they are linked to each other,” she said to BBC Sport.
“It’s true that at work I’m a police officer and on the field I’m a referee. But at home, I am a woman, I am the woman of the house and the mother of a daughter.”
Karboubi is the lone referee among the six female match officials in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda made history in 2022 by becoming the first woman to referee a men’s African Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
Karboubi repeated the feat last month, leading an all-female squad of officials, when Nigeria defeated Guinea-Bissau in the group round.
The Moroccan’s pivotal involvement in the current competition makes her the first North African woman to referee a men’s AFCON.
While growing up, Karboubi enjoyed playing football but quit since there was no structured women’s football at the time. As a result, she opted to pursue match officiating, as she saw greater chances of exposure to the sport within the officiating capacity.
Karboubi experienced opposition from her family in pursuing her aspirations, the details of which she revealed in UN Arab Women in 2021. “I come from a small conservative town; therefore, it was difficult for my family to accept the fact that I wanted to pursue my career in sports,” she said.
Her father saw her officiate a women’s game in 2007, and she was encouraged to pursue her chosen career path after that. Today, she is a role model for Arab women on the field.
Karboubi is not just the first Arab woman to referee a men’s match in 2020, but also the first African woman to qualify as a video assistant referee (VAR).
Morocco and Egypt are the only African countries to completely utilize VAR in their local competitions.
Karboubi’s first international refereeing assignment came during the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.
Female referees throughout the world are having an impact on the beautiful game, and clearly, Karboubi helped pave the way. In 2022, France’s Stephane Frappart became the first woman to officiate in a men’s FIFA World Cup, taking command of the group stage game between Costa Rica and Germany.
Despite these achievements, Karboubi believes that women must go above and beyond to demonstrate their competency.
“It may have been a male dominated field, but today we have been able to show that even women are able to do it,” she said.