Fans Fume Over Refereeing as Super Eagles Crashes Out of AFCON on Penalties

Anger and disappointment trailed Nigeria’s semi-final exit from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday night, as football fans blamed Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea for what they believe was unfair officiating in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 defeat to Morocco.

The encounter at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat ended goalless after regulation and extra time, forcing a penalty shootout. Nigeria eventually lost 4-2 after spot-kicks from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi were saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Beyond the heartbreak of defeat, many Nigerian supporters were more enraged by the conduct of the match officials. Statistics from the game showed that Nigeria committed 29 fouls compared to Morocco’s 19, yet only the Super Eagles received two yellow cards, while the host nation finished the game without a single caution.

The imbalance fuelled accusations of bias, particularly because the centre referee is Ghanaian—a nationality that carries historic football rivalry with Nigeria.

At a viewing centre in Lagos State where supporters gathered to watch the match, emotions ran high as fans reacted to several contentious decisions.

One of the viewers, Olakunle Okunbanjo, openly questioned the referee’s impartiality.

“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,” he said.

Another fan, Bernard Daniel, also criticised the officiating and suggested the referee favoured the host nation.

“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,” Daniel remarked.

Throughout the tense match, every disputed call sparked loud protests and screams from the viewing centre crowd, reflecting the widespread frustration felt by supporters.

The backlash was equally intense on social media platform X, where Nigerian fans poured out their displeasure.

A user, Roweazy Zetarium, posted a picture of the referee with the caption, “The worst referee in AFCON 26.”

Another user, Oby, (@Just__Oby), expressed anger bluntly, writing, “God punish that referee, but before God, men go first punish am!”

For Abimbola Oyediran, the officiating repeatedly went against Nigerian attackers.

“The referee was very biased in most of the infringements awarded against Lookman and other attackers upfront,” Oyediran posted.

While some fans admitted Morocco were the better side on the night, they still faulted the referee’s performance. A user identified as @machinche_250 wrote, “Though the Moroccans were the better side, but you see that Ghanaian referee, that man was very useless with most of his calls.”

Another supporter, @ade_mummy, wondered how an entire match could pass without a single Moroccan player receiving a booking.

“At some point I was asking my husband whether it is possible for a referee not to have any cards on him,” she posted.

Particular outrage was directed at the yellow card issued to defender Calvin Bassey, which rules him out of Nigeria’s third-place play-off match.

A fan, Ìléríolúwa (@Ilerioluwakiye_), questioned the decision, saying, “How will a referee give yellow card to someone they pulled his shirt? I still don’t understand.”

The Confederation of African Football appointed Laryea to handle the high-profile semi-final, marking his second match of the tournament. His earlier assignment was the group-stage fixture between Burkina Faso and Algeria, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Algerians.

The officiating team included assistant referees Zakhele Siwela of South Africa, Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho and Arsenio Maringule of Mozambique, with Samuel Uwikunda serving as fourth official.

Video Assistant Referee duties were overseen by Abongile Tom of South Africa, supported by Haythem Guirat of Tunisia and Stephen Onyango Yiembe of Kenya.

Laryea, 38, has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2014 and is a regular official in the Ghana Premier League. He has previously officiated at major competitions including the African Nations Championship, AFCON, and the CAF Women’s Champions League.

Despite his experience, Nigerian fans insist his handling of Wednesday’s semi-final fell far short of expectations, leaving a bitter taste in what was already a painful elimination for the Super Eagles.