Liberia: Referee Sylvina Garnett Officiates WAFU A Women’s Championship Final

The 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Championship grand final between Cape Verde and Senegal was officiated by experienced Liberian female referee Sylvina Garnett at the Stade Marcelo Leito in Cape Verde.

After defeating the hosts 1-0, Senegal successfully defended their title.

Referee Garnett was in charge of the whistle and was assisted by her compatriot, Hannah Moses, who served as Assistant Referee #2; Guinean Mmawa Kourouma serves as Assistant Referee #1; and Malian Aissata Diarra serves as the reserve referee.

Prior to the championship match on Sunday, Garnett officiated two other games, both in the group stage, in which Senegal defeated The Gambia 4-1 and The Gambia defeated Sierra Leone 4-1. She also participated in the tournament's opening game between Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau as the fourth official.

In those games where she was the center referee, Hannah served as an assistant referee.

Sylvina and Hannah were two of three Liberian females selected by WAFU to participate in the tournament. Former Class A referee and now a police officer, Beatrice Mardea Edwins, was selected to serve as a security officer at the tournament.

The Gambia defeated Guinea-Bissau 3-2 earlier on Sunday to win bronze in the competition. 

After winning bronze in the inaugural competition, Liberia's women's national team was unable to compete in this year's edition. The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) and the Liberia Football Association (LFA) had discussions regarding “the provision of financial support to various national teams,” but the Ministry responded that “the government is not in the position to provide financial support for the women's national team to compete in this year's edition.” As a result, the team withdrew from the competition.