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Zambia coach questions CAF tie-break rules after WAFCON elimination
Copper Queens head coach Nora Hauptle has criticised the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) tie-break regulations after Zambia were eliminated from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) despite beating Malawi 2-1.
The victory on Wednesday night was not enough to take Zambia into the next stage, with the Copper Queens finishing level on points with Super Falcons of Nigeria and Malawi.
Qualification from the group was decided by CAF’s head-to-head tie-break rules, which assess goals scored in matches involving the three teams that finished level.
Under those regulations, Nigeria advanced after scoring four goals in the relevant head-to-head matches, while Malawi progressed with three. Zambia scored two and were therefore eliminated.
Hauptle said the outcome was particularly difficult to accept because Zambia had scored more goals across the tournament than any other team and had also conceded the fewest.
“We scored the most goals in this group, and we conceded the least goals,” she was quoted by Lusaka Times. “Sometimes I’m not sure if we do the right things with this kind of regulations because it feels completely weird that we are out.”
The Zambia coach said the team had committed fully to the competition but questioned whether the regulations reflected the spirit of the game.
The Copper Queens’ 2-1 win over Malawi ensured they ended the group stage with a positive result, but the head-to-head calculations left them behind both Nigeria and Malawi despite the three sides having the same number of points.
Hauptle’s criticism came after a campaign in which Zambia’s attacking output and defensive record appeared, on the face of it, to compare favourably with those of their rivals. However, the tournament regulations prioritised results and goals scored in matches between the teams involved in the tie rather than the overall group records.
Zambia captain Barbra Banda said the squad would use the disappointment as motivation and return stronger from the experience.
Striker Racheal Kundananji also said she was proud of the team’s showing, despite the early departure from the tournament. She maintained that the players had fought hard throughout their campaign.
The result means Zambia’s WAFCON run has ended, while Nigeria and Malawi have secured progress under CAF’s competition rules. Hauptle’s side will now reflect on an exit that came despite a 2-1 victory in their final match and strong overall scoring and defensive figures.
