It was a disappointing end to Nigeria Women Football League champions, Edo Queens’ journey in the WAFU Zone B CAF Women’s Champions League final against Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa, as they were eliminated in the rescheduled game played in Cairo yesterday.

The controversy started after the initial final at the August 4 Stadium in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on September 5. Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa had finished the regulation period level at 2-2 before the Nigerian club won the subsequent penalty shootout 4-1. Edo Queens were initially declared winners, and the result appeared to have secured their place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.

Everything however changed when the Ghanaian side challenged the result through the Ghana Football Association claiming that the competition regulations required two 15-minute periods of extra time before a penalty shootout could be conducted.

In its ruling on September 26, CAF’s Organising Committee for Women’s Football upheld the protest and annulled the penalty-shootout result, directing that the match resume from the beginning of extra time with the score remaining 2-2.

The Nigeria Football Federation subsequently appealed the decision on behalf of Edo Queens, arguing that the club had followed the match officials’ instructions and should not be penalised for the procedural error.

However, CAF’s Appeal Board upheld the earlier ruling on October 16, confirming that the remaining 30 minutes had to be played to determine the winner with Edo Queens later agreeing to replay the game.

However, the team was already depleted with two of the star players that helped them to the title initially including the Player of the Tournament are currently with the National U-17 team taking part in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Edo Queens made adjustments heading into the extra-time resumption in Cairo, bringing in Kafayat Mafisere and Mary Mamudu to replace Oluwakemi Adegbuyi (the MVP of the initial tournament in Burkina Faso) and Oluebube Umejiaku another star player.