Nigerian football fans have criticised Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea for what they described as biased and poor officiating during the Super Eagles’ semi-final defeat to Morocco on Wednesday night.
Nigeria lost 4-2 on penalties after Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi’s spot-kicks were saved by Yassine Bounou following a goalless draw after extra time at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The Eagles committed 29 fouls compared to Morocco’s 19, yet received two yellow cards while the hosts were not cautioned once, prompting accusations of one-sided officiating.
The Nigeria-Ghana rivalry led many fans to believe the referee had an extra incentive against the three-time champions, with some pointing to historical tensions between both nations.
At a viewing centre in Lagos State where our correspondent watched the match, fans expressed frustration with several of Laryea’s decisions throughout the encounter.
Olakunle Okunbanjo said, “Obviously, he’s been biased. Looking at it, we all expect this home advantage. But it seems he’s been extra biased and has made so many wrong calls.
“Don’t forget, he’s a Ghanaian too, so we expected this based on our rivalry.”
Bernard Daniel added, “He made so many poor decisions against us, maybe because Morocco are the host nation. Too many poor decisions against us.
“Even during the extra time, the commentators have been confused about the call he made, especially the corner kick he decided was a goal kick during the Victor Osimhen incident.”
Many screams were made at the viewing centre when each contentious call went against Nigeria.
On X, fans vented their anger at the officiating. Roweazy Zetarium posted a picture of Laryea with the caption, “The worst referee in AFCON 26.”
Another user, Oby, (@Just__Oby) wrote, “God punish that referee, but before God, men go first punish am!”
Abimbola Oyediran said, “The referee was very biased in most of the infringements awarded against Lookman and other attackers upfront.”
Another fan (@machinche_250) admitted that Morocco were better, but he called the referee useless, writing, “Though the Moroccans were the better side, but you see that Ghanaian referee, that man was very useless with most of his calls.”
One user (@ade_mummy) questioned why Morocco received no yellow cards throughout the match, writing, “At some point I was asking my husband whether it is possible for a referee not to have any cards on him.”
Particular criticism was directed at the yellow card shown to Calvin Bassey, which will see him miss the third-place play-off.
A fan, Ìléríolúwa (@Ilerioluwakiye_), addressed the foul that got Bassey a yellow card, which sees him miss the Eagles’ next game.
“How will a referee give yellow card to someone they pulled his shirt? I still don’t understand,” he said.
The Confederation of African Football had appointed Laryea to take charge of the high-profile encounter, with the 38-year-old handling his second fixture of the tournament.
Laryea’s only previous appearance at the finals came during the group stage in December, when he officiated Burkina Faso’s 1-0 defeat to Algeria in Group E.
The FIFA-listed referee was supported by assistant referees Zakhele Siwela of South Africa, Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho and Arsenio Maringule of Mozambique, while Samuel Uwikunda served as fourth official.
Video Assistant Referee duties were overseen by Abongile Tom of South Africa, with Haythem Guirat of Tunisia and Stephen Onyango Yiembe of Kenya acting as assistant VAR officials.
Laryea has been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2014 and is a regular official in the Ghana Premier League. His experience includes officiating at the African Nations Championship, the AFCON, and the CAF Women’s Champions League.
