Edo State Football Association Chairman Fred Erhunse has confirmed that Edo Queens have been instructed to return the WAFU-B trophy and medals following CAF’s decision to annul their penalty-shootout victory over Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies, but says the Nigerian champions are challenging the ruling.
The extraordinary dispute followed the September 5 final in Ouagadougou, where Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa finished 2-2 after 90 minutes before the Nigerian side won the subsequent shootout 4-1.
CAF has since ruled that the shootout should never have taken place because competition regulations required two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties. The governing body consequently stripped the shootout of any sporting effect and ordered the final to resume from the beginning of extra time at 2-2.
According to Erhunse, the consequences have now extended to the silverware already presented to Edo Queens.
“They have asked us to return the trophy and the medals,” the Edo FA chairman revealed, while confirming that the Nigerian side has not simply accepted the decision.
“We have appealed through the Nigeria Football Federation to CAF,” he added.
CAF’s own findings make the situation particularly unusual because the governing body determined that neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa was responsible for the procedural error.
Match officials had initially been informed that extra time would be played, before the referee was subsequently instructed during the second half to proceed directly to penalties if the scores remained level.
The referee, CAF found, acted on that instruction in good faith.
That has fuelled questions in Nigeria over why Edo Queens should lose a victory secured under instructions given by competition officials. The NFF has also moved to engage CAF over the decision.
Unless the appeal changes the situation, Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa will return to play only the missing 30 minutes of extra time, with a fresh shootout if necessary. The eventual winner will take WAFU-B’s ticket to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
For Edo Queens, however, the fight has now moved beyond the pitch: a trophy already lifted, medals already received and qualification already celebrated are all on hold — and the Nigerian champions are appealing to have their victory restored.
