Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin City
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has faulted the ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that annulled penalty shootouts between Edo Queens and Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies in a WAFU -B championship.
The September 5 final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, ended 2-2 after regulation time before the referee directed both sides to penalties.
Edo Queens won 4-1 and were declared WAFU-B champions, earning the zone’s ticket to the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Ampem Darkoa subsequently protested, arguing that the regulations required two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties.
CAF upheld the protest and ordered the final to resume from extra time.
CAF later cancelled the final over what it said was the referees’ refusal to follow laid down guidelines.
The petition signed by NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Edem Ikpeme, is therefore urging the continental body to reconsider the remedy imposed after an officiating error in the WAFU-B final.
The petition said it does not deny that the regulations required extra time, rather, the NFF is asking CAF’s Appeals Committee to consider whether cancelling a completed shoot-out and ordering the final to resume from extra time is the appropriate remedy where neither team was responsible for the error.
In its appeal filed on Tuesday, the NFF acknowledged the regulatory requirement but argued that Edo Queens did not cause, request or contribute to the omission of extra time.
“Edo Queens neither elected nor requested that extra time be dispensed with,” the federation stated, stressing that the Nigerian players merely complied with the referee’s instruction.
The NFF further argued that “the fact that Edo Queens ultimately won the shootouts cannot retrospectively convert its compliance with the referee’s instruction into responsibility for the regulatory breach.”
The federation’s legal argument is therefore centered on the distinction between identifying an irregularity and determining the appropriate consequence, insisting that any remedy should have a clear regulatory basis and be proportionate to the breach established.
The NFF has consequently urged the Appeals Committee to overturn the decision and uphold the original result, arguing that Edo Queens should not lose the sporting benefit of a match concluded under the direction of the appointed officials.