The Edo State Sports Commission has rejected the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s annulment of Edo Queens’ WAFU-B Women’s Champions League final victory, insisting that the Nigerian champions should not be punished for an administrative error committed by match officials.
Executive Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, who stated this while featuring on an AIT Sports programme, said Edo Queens had complied with the instructions of the match officials and had no role in the decision to proceed directly to penalties after the September 5 final against Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
“Of course, it was shocking news. The news was unbelievable. We didn’t expect that from CAF at all,” Enabulele said.
Edo Queens defeated Ampem Darkoa 4-1 on penalties after regulation time ended 2-2 and were presented with the WAFU-B trophy and medals. CAF subsequently annulled the shootout, ruling that the match should have proceeded to two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties in line with Article 72.4 of the competition regulations, and ordered the final to resume from the 2-2 scoreline.
Enabulele recalled that the match, originally scheduled for 7pm, was delayed by severe weather conditions and eventually kicked off at about 9pm. He said the match officials subsequently informed both teams that if the game ended in a draw, the winner would be decided directly through penalties.
According to him, neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa challenged the instruction, with the Nigerian champions proceeding to the shootout in obedience to the officials’ directive. He also cited tactical substitutions made by Edo Queens towards the closing stages as evidence that the team had prepared for penalties as the prescribed method of determining the winner.
Edo Queens won the shootout 4-1 and were declared champions before the Ghana Football Association, on behalf of Ampem Darkoa, lodged a protest that led to CAF’s decision.
Enabulele said CAF’s own decision acknowledged that neither club was responsible for the procedural error, insisting that the consequences should instead be borne by those responsible for the erroneous administrative instruction.
“Edo Queens has not been found guilty of wrongdoing. Even the letter that they sent to us stated that Edo Queens has not done anything wrong, neither the other team from Ghana. But this was purely an administrative error.” he emphasised.
He further argued that the officials acted on instructions from higher administrative authorities.
“The referee took instruction from higher administrative authority,” he said, stressing that the officials and administrators involved in the competition were appointed through CAF structures.
The Edo Sports Commission boss also rejected any suggestion that the final was inconclusive, maintaining that the match had been completed on the field and Edo Queens had been declared winners. He questioned the appropriate remedy where officials themselves failed to implement the prescribed competition procedure.
With the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) already appealing CAF’s decision, Enabulele expressed confidence in the strength of the Nigerian side’s case.
“We know that we have a very good case.”
He said Edo Queens were prepared to exhaust every available avenue, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), if necessary, should the matter proceed beyond CAF’s Appeals Board.
On the possibility of another encounter between the two teams, Enabulele maintained that the existing position should remain until all available dispute-resolution channels had been exhausted.
He, however, said the controversy had not distracted Edo Queens from their preparations for the main CAF Women’s Champions League. The team, he disclosed, had commenced preparations for the new season and was currently in Bayelsa State for a pre-season tournament.
Enabulele said the players remained motivated and focused on maintaining their impressive performances despite the ongoing legal process. He also confirmed the return of Coach Moses Aduku from his national assignment and the rejoining of players who had been away on national duty.
He assured that Edo Queens would continue to pursue the matter through the appropriate channels while concentrating on winning more matches.