Statement on CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier final

COSAFA has noted the actions of Gaborone United in the wake of their penalty shoot-out defeat to University of the Western Cape (UWC) in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier in Blantyre on Saturday.

Club officials protested the result of the shoot-out on the pitch following the game in an unsporting manner and against the regulations of the tournament, which is a preliminary competition for the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals.

The correct action on the day would have been to approach the Match Commissioner to register any grievances, but instead they chose to do this in a public manner.

The relevant tournament regulations around protests are as follows:

Article 16
ii. Protests shall first be submitted in writing to the Match Commissioner at the Stadium. The Protests shall be confirmed in writing by the Head of Delegation to the COSAFA Secretariat offices at the venue of the Tournament no later than two hours after the match in question, provided that such Protests are accompanied by a non-refundable Protest fee of Two Thousand USD ($2,000).

iv. No Protests may be made against the Referee’s decisions regarding facts connected with play, such decisions being final.

v. Protests that are not submitted in accordance with the requirements of these Regulations shall not be admitted.

viii. No Protest shall be considered after the winner of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier has been proclaimed.

Gaborone United complained that the match officials had erred in not awarding a retake of a penalty in the shoot-out that was saved by the UWC goalkeeper.