Harrison Jalla has criticised the Confederation of African Football following the decision to annul Edo Queens’ penalty shootout victory over Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
Edo Queens had defeated Ampem Darkoa 4-1 on penalties after their WAFU Zone B final ended 2-2 after 90 minutes in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
However, CAF later ruled that the penalty shootout should not have taken place because the competition regulations required 30 minutes of extra time before penalties.
CAF subsequently annulled the shootout result and ordered the final to resume from the beginning of extra time, with the score still 2-2.
Jalla, chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative, described the situation as another administrative crisis for African football.
He questioned why match officials proceeded directly to penalties despite the regulations requiring two 15-minute periods of extra time.
Jalla also called on the Nigeria Football Federation to challenge any attempt to make Edo Queens replay the entire match.
His comments came after CAF acknowledged that neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa was responsible for the failure to play extra time.
CAF attributed the error to an administrative instruction given during the match. The governing body said the referee had acted in good faith after being instructed to proceed directly to penalties if the score remained level.
Rather than ordering a complete replay, CAF ruled that the valid 90 minutes should stand and the match should continue from 2-2.
The two teams will now play 30 minutes of extra time. If the scores remain level, a fresh penalty shootout will determine the winner.
The eventual winner will represent WAFU Zone B at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
The date, venue and kick-off time for the continuation are yet to be confirmed by WAFU B.
