Zambian FIFA referee Diana Chikotesha has been named among the African match officials for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Chikotesha is among the 55 assistant referees selected to officiate at the biggest football showpiece for women.
According to the list of appointed match officials announced by the FIFA Referees Committee on Monday afternoon, Chikotesha has made the cut for the tournament that runs from 20 July – 20 August 2023.
Chikotesha has shone at the highest level in the last few years, with her first assignment in 2023 coming at the Algeria 2022 (to be played in 2023) African Nations Championship (CHAN).
According to FIFA, there will be a total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs) that will form FIFA Team One and 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 VMOs have also been selected.
Chikotesha has been growing steadily, getting local, continental, and global assignments.
In April, ‘Super Diana’ was invited to the fabled Maurice Revello Tournament 2022 which was staged in France.
In May, Chikotesha was appointed by FIFA to officiate at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
In July, She was in Morocco officiating at the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
In January and February, the selected match officials will participate in preparatory seminars (in Doha and Montevideo), reviewing and analysing video clips of real match situations and taking part in practical training sessions with players, which will be filmed to enable participants to receive instant feedback from instructors.
The Copper Queens will be making their World Cup debut and have been paired in Group C alongside Spain, Costa Rica and Japan and will kick-off their campaign against Japan at Waikato stadium in New Zealand on 22 July.
