NFF Appeals CAF Decision To Replay Edo Queens’ WAFU-B Final

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appealed the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to annul Edo Queens’ victory over Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the WAFU-B final.

The appeal, filed on Tuesday on behalf of Edo Queens, challenges CAF’s ruling to set aside the Nigerian side’s 4-1 penalty shoot-out victory after the September 5 final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, ended 2-2 after regulation time.

Edo Queens were initially crowned WAFU-B champions and awarded the zone’s ticket to the CAF Women’s Champions League after winning the penalty shoot-out.

However, CAF ruled on Sunday, following a protest by Ampem Darkoa, that the match should have proceeded to two periods of extra time before penalties in accordance with Article 72.4 of the competition regulations.

CAF consequently ordered the final to resume from extra time.

The NFF argued in its appeal that Edo Queens should not be punished for an error made by the match officials, stressing that the players neither requested nor caused the decision to proceed directly to penalties.

The federation said the Nigerian champions simply followed the referee’s instructions and participated in the shoot-out in good faith. It also noted that CAF had made no finding of misconduct, manipulation or bad faith against Edo Queens.

“The fact that Edo Queens ultimately won the shoot-out cannot retrospectively convert its compliance with the referee’s instruction into responsibility for the regulatory breach,” the NFF said.

“There is an important distinction between benefiting from an official’s error and causing or procuring the error.

“It is therefore difficult to justify a remedy which effectively removes the sporting consequence of the penalty shoot-out from Edo Queens where the club was not responsible for the circumstances which produced it.”

The federation also questioned CAF’s authority to annul a completed penalty shoot-out and order the match to resume from extra time when neither participating team was responsible for the irregularity.

The NFF further argued that any remedy imposed by CAF must have a clear regulatory basis and be proportionate to the established irregularity.

It therefore urged the CAF Appeals Committee to overturn the ruling and uphold Edo Queens’ 4-1 penalty shoot-out win, insisting that the sporting outcome should not be taken away from a team that complied with the match officials’ instructions.