Posted: Saturday, May 17, 2025. 8:52 pm CST.
Napoles FC will have to replay the second semifinal against Jewel Fury on Sunday at the FFB Field.
Photo Credit: Napoles FC
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Napoles FC are furious after the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) voided their qualification for the Premier Women’s League of Belize (PWLB) final and ordered a rematch of their semifinal against Jewel Fury FC. The decision—annulling the away goal rule entirely—has raised serious concerns over fairness. However, due to an official gag order from the FFB, the club are unable to speak directly on the matter. Breaking Belize News spoke with former manager Brian Mira, who openly condemned the ruling.
Mira did not mince words, claiming that the federation’s decision favours Jewel Fury.
“They have scrapped the away goal, just like that, even though it’s in the regulations. Crazy,” he said.
FFB’s Justification and Napoles’ Response
According to PWLB regulations, if two teams are tied on aggregate after 90 minutes in the second leg of a series, the team with the greater number of away goals shall advance. If both teams also have equal away goals, the match should proceed to extra time and penalties if necessary. The two teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.
The semifinal did proceed to extra time, during which Napoles scored what should have been the decisive away goal. Match officials ruled in Napoles’ favour, confirming their advancement to the final. However, after Jewel Fury presented an official protest, the FFB later overturned the decision, arguing that since both teams played at the same venue, the away goal rule did not apply.
The FFB justified its ruling that nullified the results of the match between Jewel Fury FC and Napoles FC at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium on May 10, 2025, indicating the decision was made due to a serious infringement of tournament regulations by the match officials, who declared a winner despite the match not being officially concluded.
Since extra time had already been played, penalties should have been the next step.
As a result, the FFB ordered the match to be replayed at the FFB Stadium.
Mira emphasized that Napoles had followed all proper procedures.
“The regulations are their regulations. We never asked for the game to be called in our favor. We wanted to kick penalties. We waited half an hour. The match officials told us no, the game is over… you guys have won,” he stated.
He argued that match officials were adamant that Napoles had won based on their interpretation of the regulations and that nowhere in the rules does it state that away goals do not count in extra time.
“My position is that it is THEIR officials!!! And it was their interpretation of the regulations. They went by what is USUAL and CUSTOMARY, but now WE are the ones affected and nothing happens to THEM. It’s US that spent tons of money,” Mira expressed.
Napoles had requested a technical meeting before the semifinals, but they never received one, leaving them further frustrated.
Jewel Fury won the protest and will face Napoles FC again in a repeat second semifinal Sunday at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan. Photo Credit: Walkiria Fotografia
Concerns Over Venue and National Team Bias
Napoles also contend that Jewel Fury’s usual home venue was the FFB Stadium, but they switched to the Isidoro Beaton Stadium for the semifinal—a move that should have allowed the away goal rule to stand.
Beyond the immediate impact of the decision, Mira raised concerns about potential bias in national team selections.
“They [the players] are sure that their chances of playing on the national team would be jeopardized. The coach of Jewel Fury is also the National Team coach,” he pointed out.
Napoles currently have four players on the Belize Women’s National Team, and Mira fears the controversy may negatively affect their future opportunities.
FFB Issues Warning to Napoles Over Social Media Posts
The FFB warned Napoles FC that their social media posts on the matter violated the 2025 Club Participation Agreement and stated that further posts would be monitored, with potential sanctions enforced. The federation also made it clear that there was no appeal to the decision, which explains Napoles’ silence on the matter.
Final Chance for Napoles and Jewel Fury
The semifinal replay is now set for Sunday, 18 May 2025, at 6:00 pm at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, with neutral match officials overseeing the fixture. Napoles must fight once again for their place in the final, despite their initial victory.
“Management is completely fed up and don’t want to participate anymore. The girls on the team just want to finish the tournament,” Mira admitted.
“Our players are devastated. And will just go out there and whatever happens, happens. I don’t see HOW any of this is our fault.”
Will Napoles overcome the adversity, or will Jewel Fury capitalize on their second chance? The rematch will determine the final lineup for the PWLB championship match.
Sagitun GIRLZ await.
Sagitun GIRLZ – Photo Credit: Sagitun GIRLZ
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