Premier Women’s League of Belize: Jewel Fury challenge Napoles’ Finals spot with protest over away goal decision

Published by [email protected] at May 12, 2025

Posted: Monday, May 12, 2025. 5:41 pm CST.

Napoles FC qualified to the PWLB Finals on an away goal over Jewel Fury – Photo Credit: Napoles FC

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Jewel Fury have officially filed a protest regarding the Premier Women’s League of Belize (PWLB) semi-final match against Napoles FC, challenging the decision that allowed Napoles to advance to the final based on the away goal rule.

The protest has been forwarded to the PWLB Protest Board for review, as confirmed in the formal communication from the PWLB Competition Director Sandra Aleman to the two team managers.

Napoles FC, in response, have issued a statement to their fans reaffirming their stance that the away goal rule was correctly applied. They emphasize that both the Match Commissioner and Match Officials ruled in their favour, rejecting any interference from the competition director. Napoles maintain that their lone away goal, scored by Jinelle Pott, was decisive in securing their place in the final.

“The Match Commissioner and the Match Officials both agreed that we had scored an away goal and having ended up 2-2 in aggregate, Napoles FC was the winner of the series,” Napoles FC said in their statement.

“The competition director tried to intervene on Jewel Fury’s behalf even though HER match commissioner and Match Officials had already ruled that Napoles had won the game. The officials rightly refused to cave in to her demands of penalties.

“We await a fair result from the Protest committee without interference from the competition director as has already been attempted at the end of the game.”

The PWLB Competition Director said the Board will decide.

“We will communicate the outcome or any directive from the Board as soon as feedback is provided. In the meantime, we ask for your patience and understanding as we follow the proper procedures.”

The tournament byelaws explicitly support Napoles FC’s qualification, confirming that if two teams are tied on aggregate, the team with the greater number of away goals advance. With their 2-2 aggregate draw, Napoles held the decisive advantage due to their single away goal in the second game. Though Jewel Fury contest the ruling, the regulations governing the competition clearly indicate that Napoles were entitled to progress to the final.

The semi-final series was fiercely contested, ending with Napoles winning the first leg 1-0 (which was their home game), while Jewel Fury fought back with a 2-1 victory in the second leg (which was Napoles’ away game). Despite their valiant effort, Jewel Fury could not overcome the competition’s existing rules on the away goal.

Now, Napoles FC prepare for the ultimate challenge against Sagitun GIRLZ, who dominated their semi-final clash with an overwhelming 24-0 aggregate victory. The upcoming final promises to be an intense showdown, with Napoles relying on their defensive resilience to counter Sagitun GIRLZ’s formidable attack.

Meanwhile, the Protest Board’s decision is awaited with great anticipation, as it could potentially impact the final lineup. Will Jewel Fury’s challenge alter the course of the championship, or will Napoles’ qualification stand? As the league scrutinizes its own byelaws, the integrity of the competition will be under the spotlight while the ruling is finalized.

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