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Edo Queens’ fight to keep their place in the CAF Women’s Champions League has taken a fresh turn, with football reform advocate Prince Harrison Jalla accusing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) of breaking its own ruling and Nigerian officials in the continental body of staying silent.
Jalla, Chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative, said Edo Queens won the WAFU B qualifier in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, only for Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC to protest 48 hours later. Ampem Darkoa claimed the match was not played to full regulation time before the officials went straight to penalties.
CAF upheld the protest and ordered a replay at the same venue, with the same players, for 15 minutes per half, to cover the 30-minute shortfall.
According to Jalla, CAF then went against its own verdict by moving the replay to Cairo, Egypt. It also denied Edo Queens the chance to field some of their players, who were at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the time.
“Throughout this entire drama, no Nigerian in CAF lifted a finger to speak up for the country,” Jalla said.
He asked: “Where are the Nigerians in CAF? Who appointed them in the first place? Are their appointments based on merit?”
Jalla recalled the era of Orok Oyo, Adegboye Onigbinde, Patrick Okpomo and Jonathan Ogunfere, all late, followed by Dr. Amos Adamu, Sani Toro, Amanze Uchegbulam and others. He said Nigeria once had strong voices in WAFU, CAF and FIFA, who served with passion before corruption swept through the country’s football about 12 years ago.
He alleged that appointments to CAF and FIFA have since become fully commercialised. He claimed one candidate for the CAF Executive Committee reportedly collected money from all the state governors and the Federal Government to fund his campaign.
In his view, those holding positions in these bodies no longer see themselves as representatives of Nigeria but as people pursuing personal interests.
Jalla said Edo Queens have been left to carry their own cross, but praised the club’s chairman, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, as a capable fighter who has “fired the first shot” with a fresh petition to CAF dated 29 October 2026.
He described CAF as “fast becoming a loose cannon”, a continental governing body in disarray and fumbling from one blunder to another.
