The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appealed against the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to cancel Edo Queens' FC victory over Ampem Darkoa Ladies of Ghana in the WAFU-B competition. The appeal, signed by Emmanuel Edem Ikpeme, Deputy General Secretary of the NFF, was dated September 28, 2026, and addressed to the President of the CAF Appeals Board in Egypt. The NFF is contesting CAF's decision to cancel the match and order a replay.
CAF cancelled Edo Queens' 4-1 penalty-shootout victory over Ampem Darkoa Ladies after ruling that the September 5 final should have gone into 30 minutes of extra time before penalties. The decision followed a protest by the Ghana Football Association on behalf of Ampem Darkoa. The NFF argued that Edo Queens were not given a fair hearing before CAF took the decision to cancel their victory and order a replay.
In its appeal, the NFF argued that even if the match officials erred by proceeding directly to penalties, Edo Queens should not bear the sporting consequences of an error they neither caused nor requested. The Nigerian federation's central legal argument is that CAF's power to establish a regulatory irregularity does not automatically give it unlimited power to impose any remedy.
The NFF wants the Appeals Committee to determine whether the regulations specifically authorise the annulment of a completed penalty shootout and the resumption of a final from extra time where neither participating club was responsible for the breach. The NFF submitted that Edo Queens, who ultimately won the shootout, cannot retrospectively have their compliance with the referee's instruction converted into responsibility for the regulatory breach.
The Nigerian football body drew a distinction between benefiting from an official's error and causing or procuring that error, insisting that CAF cannot, by itself, make Edo Queens responsible for the latter. CAF's ruling itself found that the failure to play extra time resulted from an administrative instruction and that neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa were responsible.
The NFF asked the CAF Appeals Committee to distinguish between correcting an irregularity and transferring the consequences of that irregularity to an innocent participant. The federation further averred that any remedy must have a clear regulatory foundation and be proportionate to the breach established. The appeal is seeking a review of CAF's decision and a favorable outcome for Edo Queens.
The outcome of the appeal will determine the fate of Edo Queens in the WAFU-B competition and potentially impact the CAF Women's Champions League 2026. The NFF's appeal is a significant development in the controversy surrounding the match between Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
Key points
- NFF appeals CAF's decision to cancel Edo Queens' victory over Ampem Darkoa Ladies
- CAF's decision was based on a protest by the Ghana Football Association
- NFF argues that Edo Queens should not bear the consequences of an error they did not cause
