Nora Häuptle, the manager of the Zambia women’s national team, has expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tie-breaking procedures during the current Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Although her squad, known as the Copper Queens, secured a 2-1 victory against Malawi on Wednesday, they were still eliminated from the tournament.
Zambia concluded the group stage with six points, matching the totals held by Nigeria’s Super Falcons and Malawi. However, CAF rules dictate that advancement is decided by the number of goals scored in matches specifically between the tied teams. Nigeria progressed with four goals, Malawi followed with three, and Zambia was knocked out after scoring only two.
Häuptle voiced her frustration to the Lusaka Times, noting that her team recorded the highest goal total and the lowest number of goals conceded in the group. She described the current regulatory framework as strange and questioned whether the existing rules effectively reward performance.
