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Referee Daniel Nii Laryea dismisses criticism over Nigeria vs Morocco semi-final.
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Super Eagles lose on penalties after 120 minutes of goalless football.
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Nigerians fault calls, including Calvin Bassey’s booking.
Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Laryea has brushed aside criticisms over his officiating in Nigeria’s penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the semi-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The highly anticipated clash ended 0–0 after extra time on Wednesday night before Morocco edged Nigeria on penalties. Following the loss, Laryea became the focus of intense backlash on social media, with Nigerian fans and pundits accusing him of favouring the Atlas Lions.
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Among the contentious decisions was the booking of Calvin Bassey, a caution that ruled the Super Eagles defender out of the remainder of the tournament. Nigeria internationals Akor Adams and Bright Osayi-Samuel also publicly questioned the referee’s handling of the match.
Reacting to the criticism in an interview on Sporty TV, Laryea played down the controversy, saying the reactions were part of the game.
“No, it’s okay. It’s football,” the Ghanaian referee said.
