Despite a spirited performance Nigeria’s Flamingos lost on penalties to hosts Ghana on penalty shootout in the final of the maiden WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup om Sunday.
The Flamingos had to come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and force the game to penalties where they lost 5-4.
Ghana took the lead in the 13th minute through Gertrude Amoafa before Priscilla Mensah made it 2-0 on 18 minutes.
In the 34th minute Precious Oscar pulled a goal back for the Flamingos to end the first half 2-1.
The Flamingos thought they had equalised in the 66th minute but the goal was disallowed.
Just three minutes later the Flamingos went close to drawing level only yo see their effort hit the cross bar.
Their persistent eventually paid off thanks to Harmony Chidi who made it 2-2 on 80 minutes.
With both teams failing to find the winner the game went to penalties with Ghana coming out tops.
At the end of the game, Chidi was named Player of the Match while Christiana Uzoma was voted Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
By James Agberebi
8 Comments
But have the Flamingoes not qualified for the Africa stage or next Under-17 World Cup despite the loss to their Ghanaian countertops.
Flamingos kwalified. Dey wa puor in dis game against Gana. Dey wheel bi beta in fusor.
Strange Officiating and very bias Ghanaian commentator who only sees good in Ghana and full of negative words whenever the Flamingos are in possession or make a tackle. How they cancelled the Nigeria goal remains a mystery. They say Nigeria is corrupt but GFA president kurt has been known to trying dubious means to win matches for Ghana. No wonder Ghana can not win any match that he doesn’t interfere.
The officiating in African women’s football has indeed become a sore point of discussion, and yesterday’s Flamingoes match against Ghana added another chapter to this sad tale. That disallowed goal? A mystery shrouded in incompetence, bias, or both. It’s a recurring theme—questionable decisions, blatant errors, and a lack of accountability. It’s frustrating for fans, players, and coaches alike, especially when the stakes are so high.
We’ve seen this before. The Olympic qualifiers against Cameroon had us questioning not just the rules but also the very sanity of the referees. WAFCON 2022 in Morocco? A theater of officiating absurdities, leaving fans and teams bewildered. And now, in what should have been a straightforward match between the Flamingoes and Ghana, we’re back at square one.
The truth is, the pool of competent female referees in Africa seems alarmingly shallow. If CAF insists on appointing female referees for symbolic reasons, that’s fine, but where’s the harm in supplementing them with experienced male referees in critical matches? Progress doesn’t mean sacrificing competence on the altar of representation.
The bigger question is: are these referees being held accountable? Are their performances reviewed, and if found wanting, are there consequences? It often feels like these errors disappear into the ether, with no feedback, no punishment, and no incentive to improve. How do we explain a disallowed goal with no clear justification? Fans deserve better. Teams deserve better. The sport deserves better.
CAF needs to rethink its strategy. If women’s football is to thrive on the continent, the officiating must improve dramatically. This isn’t just about fairness; it’s about credibility. Without competent referees, the entire structure risks collapsing under the weight of its own ineptitude. Let’s hope this incident serves as a wake-up call—not just for CAF but for anyone invested in the growth of African women’s football.
The final paragraph in the article showed which team was better. Na we say make Nigeria no host such kinds of events? “Home advantage” especially against “bitter rivals” go dey count.
Next year, they might still host the event and keep becoming “WAFU most successful team”. That’s the idea
Yes di orficiating waz puor. The Flamingos disaf beta treetment.
The Nigerian ladies won the Ivorien ladies ,the referee of that match was this Benin lady in the final match. In their next match against Benin in the semi final ,the referee was from Ivory coast. Now in the final match that the same Benin lady was assigned to officiate. Even as the match ended, the video captured the Benin team celebrating Nigerians loosing. Which vindicates the unnecessary cancellation of the Nigerians pure goal. Wafu B ,your organisation could do better ,by inviting referees from Wafu A for such tournament.
Well, it hurts to be on the wrong end of poor decisions. However, we are used to injustice.
After all, we get huge doses of it from our very own NFF ONIGBESE, who UP TILL NOW are yet to appoint a qualified coach for the SE. Like play like play, 2024 is gone, and we still DO NOT have a competent coach for our senior national men’s football team!
We seem to enjoy suffering, a very weird case of masochism. If this wasn’t true, efforts would have been made to address our situation. But alas, the status quo remains!
Come next year, we will go into crucial world cup qualifiers unprepared, then prayers to God will start ascending to the heavens from Nigerians, asking God to side with them against better prepared, better funded teams. As if our opponents are also not loved by God. And when we fail, our administrators are relaxed, because they know there are no consequences for failure. And the cycle of failure and unfulfilled potential starts all over again.