The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has overturned the outcome of the WAFU B Women’s Club Championship final between Nigeria’s Edo Queens and Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa following an infringement of the competition regulations.
Edo Queens had defeated Ampem Darkoa by 4-1 on penalties, after the final ended 2-2 at regulation time in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on September 5, securing qualification for the 2026/27 CAF Women’s Champions League.
However, CAF has now annulled the penalty shootout result after determining that the centre referee proceeded directly to penalties without first playing the required extra time.
According to CAF, the decision was contrary to Article 7.2 of the CAF Women’s Champions League regulations, which requires two 15-minute periods of extra time when a knockout match is level after 90 minutes.
The regulation provides for a penalty shootout only if the scores remain level after the completion of extra time.
As a result, CAF has ordered that Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa return to play the required two periods of 15-minute extra time.
If the two teams remain level after extra time, the winner will then be determined by a penalty shootout.
The ruling effectively puts the outcome of the WAFU B final back into contention, despite Edo Queens having initially celebrated qualification following their penalty shootout victory.
The Nigerian side had secured the regional title after an impressive campaign and was set to represent the WAFU-B zone in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
CAF’s decision now means the qualification spot will be determined only after the required procedure has been completed on the pitch.
The development also places renewed focus on the importance of adherence to CAF competition regulations, particularly in knockout matches where extra time is required before a penalty shootout.
Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa will now have another opportunity to settle the contest, with the eventual winner securing the WAFU-B representative slot at the CAF Women’s Champions League.
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(Editor: Ken Eseni)
