CAF Ruling On WAFU-B Result: NFF Files Appeal, Seeks Protection For Edo Queens

CAF Ruling On WAFU-B Result: NFF Files Appeal, Seeks Protection For Edo Queens 

By Editor 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has asked the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to draw a clear line between an officials’ error and a club’s responsibility, as it battles the decision to cancel Edo Queens’ victory in the WAFU-B final.

The federation filed its appeal on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, challenging CAF’s decision to annul Edo Queens’ 4-1 penalty-shootout victory over Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies and order the final to resume from extra time.

The September 5 final in Ouagadougou ended 2-2 after regulation time before the referee directed the teams to penalties. 

Edo Queens won the shoot-out and were declared champions, earning the WAFU-B qualification ticket for the CAF Women’s Champions League.

Ampem Darkoa later protested that the regulations required extra time before penalties. CAF upheld the complaint, ruling that the match should resume from the 2-2 scoreline for two 15-minute periods of extra time.

The NFF’s challenge centres on who should bear the sporting consequences of the error.

 While acknowledging the regulation requiring extra time, the federation maintains that Edo Queens neither caused the omission nor asked officials to proceed directly to penalties.

“Edo Queens neither elected nor requested that extra time be dispensed with,” the NFF argued, stressing that the Nigerian players complied with the referee’s instructions.

The federation further stated: “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 is therefore asking CAF’s Appeals Committee to distinguish between the existence of a regulatory irregularity and the remedy that should follow it, arguing that cancellation of a completed shoot-out must have a specific regulatory foundation and be proportionate to the breach.

CAF’s ruling, meanwhile, rests on the position that extra time was mandatory and that the penalty shoot-out consequently occurred before the prescribed stage of the match.

The case now raises a wider regulatory question for African club football: where neither team causes a procedural error by match officials, should the sporting outcome already produced on the field automatically be discarded?

For Nigeria, the answer could determine whether Edo Queens retain their WAFU-B crown and the accompanying Champions League qualification place or return to the pitch to settle the final from extra time.

The NFF has consequently asked CAF to restore the original result, while the Appeals Committee considers the competing arguments over the rules, responsibility and appropriate remedy.

NFF Challenges CAF’s U-Turn On Edo Queens’ Victory

...seeks restoration of WAFU-B result 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has challenged the reversal of Edo Queens’ WAFU-B final victory, asking the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to restore a result that was concluded on the pitch and initially recognised after the Nigerian side defeated Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies on penalties.

The appeal, filed on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, follows CAF’s decision to annul Edo Queens’ 4-1 shoot-out victory and order the final to resume from extra time after ruling that the required 30 minutes of extra time had not been played.

The September 5 final in Ouagadougou ended 2-2 after regulation time before the referee directed both teams to a penalty shoot-out. Edo Queens won 4-1 and were declared WAFU-B champions, securing the zone’s qualification ticket for the CAF Women’s Champions League.

The subsequent protest by Ampem Darkoa centred on the competition regulations, which provide for extra time before penalties in a drawn final. 

CAF upheld the protest and ruled that the penalty shoot-out could not stand as the prescribed procedure had not been followed.

The NFF, however, is asking CAF to consider the circumstances under which the disputed procedure occurred, arguing that Edo Queens did not choose to bypass extra time but acted on the instructions of the appointed match officials.

“Edo Queens neither elected nor requested that extra time be dispensed with,” the federation argued.

It further stated: “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 Nigerian federation’s appeal therefore turns on the remedy rather than simply the existence of the regulatory requirement. 

It argues that CAF must identify a specific legal basis for cancelling the shoot-out and reopening the final, particularly where neither participating club was responsible for the procedural error.

CAF’s position is that the competition regulations required extra time and that penalties could only be taken thereafter.

 It consequently ordered the final to resume from the 2-2 scoreline, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.

The NFF is asking the Appeals Committee to restore Edo Queens’ original victory, arguing that the club should not lose the sporting benefit of a result produced after following the referee’s instructions.

The decision will also determine Nigeria’s representation in the CAF Women’s Champions League from the WAFU-B zone, making the appeal a significant matter for Nigerian women’s football.

For Edo Queens, the issue is no longer simply about a trophy won on penalties but whether that result can be overturned because of a procedural mistake made during the administration of the final.