In the theatre of African football, where legends rise with the roar of nations, a new luminary steps into the center circle, Shamirah Nabadda, Uganda’s trailblazing referee whose ascent now reads like poetry written in bold, unforgettable strokes. She walks onto the global stage as though destiny crafted her boots and the winds scripted her journey, a conductor ready to orchestrate the symphony of Morocco 2025. Her whistle is not just a tool of authority, it is the metronome of a continent’s greatest show.
This December, Nabadda becomes the only woman center referee and main referee selected to officiate at the AFCON Morocco 2025 tournament, a monumental first that places her at the heart of Africa’s most electrifying football spectacle. Her selection crowns a year of unprecedented triumphs. Only days ago, she was honored at the CAF Awards as Africa’s Best Female Referee of the Year, a recognition that sealed her status as the face of a new era, one where ability, courage, and character speak louder than convention.
Her resume glitters like a constellation of milestones. Last year, Nabadda strode across the world’s biggest sporting dais at the Olympic Games. This year alone, her whistle echoed in the CAF U20 AFCON in Egypt,the Women’s AFCON in Morocco, the PAMOJA 2025 CHAN Tournament, and the inaugural Intercontinental Women Champions League in China. Every assignment has shaped her into a force, a steady flame rising against gravity, unwavering, unbothered, unstoppable. Her growth curve resembles a rocket, vertical, precise, and defiant of limits.
AFCON Morocco 2025 features a deep roster of elite referees and assistant referees from Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Egypt, Gabon, DR Congo, and across the continent, Mustapha Ghorbal, Pierre Atcha, Jalal Jayed, Abongile Tom, Mahmoud Ismail, Ndala Ngambo, among scores of others. The Video Match Officials list reads equally formidable with names like Lahlou Benbraham, Diana Chikotesha, Carine Fomo, Haythem Guirat, and Maria Pacquita Rivet. Yet even among this distinguished constellation, Nabadda’s spotlight shines brightest, hers is the story that resonates beyond titles, beyond borders.
And when the final whistle of Morocco 2025 is blown, long after the champions are crowned and the stadium lights dim, the tale of Shamirah Nabadda will still linger, like a soaring final note from a masterful orchestra. She stands not merely as a referee, but as a symbol of African excellence rising fearlessly through the ranks, a testament to what talent married to resilience can achieve. In the grand narrative of the beautiful game, her name will echo like Drury’s finest verse: a star born of quiet fire, now ascendant across the continent’s greatest stage.
