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Moroccan referee Driss Lamghaidar and his officiating team have admitted making an error by allowing extra time and a penalty shootout in Saturday’s 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Ghana in Kaduna.
The decision left dignitaries and spectators at the venue bewildered, as the officials ordered extra time, and subsequently penalties after the first-leg encounter had ended 3-3 in regulation time.
At a meeting held on Saturday night, Lamghaidar acknowledged the error, confirming that the match should have ended in a draw, as it was only the first leg of a two-legged tie. The decisive return leg is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, in Keta, Ghana.
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The clarification means the tie remains finely balanced, with both teams heading into the return fixture with everything still to play for.
Isa Hamza Manga scored a hat-trick for Nigeria, while Mawuli Sosu netted twice and Wise Nyamadi added another goal for Ghana’s Black Sharks to complete the 3-3 scoreline.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had immediately sought an explanation from the match officials over the decision to proceed to extra time and penalties, an apparent breach of the format for a two-legged qualifying tie in which only the first leg had been played.
