Nigerian football fans berated Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea for what they saw as biased and bad refereeing during the Super Eagles’ semi-final loss to Morocco on Wednesday night.
Nigeria lost 4-2 on penalties after Yassine Bounou saved spot kicks from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi following a goalless draw in extra time at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
The Eagles committed 29 fouls to Morocco’s 19 but only received two yellow cards, while the hosts were not cautioned once, raising suspicions of one-sided officiating.
The Nigeria-Ghana rivalry caused many fans to assume the referee had an extra motivation against the three-time champions, with some citing historical hostilities between the two countries.
Fans expressed frustration with several of Laryea’s decisions throughout the encounter with the host nation.
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 is 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.”
Fans on X 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, wrote, “God punish that referee, but before God, men go first to punish him!”
Abimbola Oyediran said, “The referee was very biased in most of the infringements awarded against Lookman and other attackers upfront.”
Machinche wrote, “Though the Moroccans were the better side, you see that Ghanaian referee; that man was very useless with most of his calls.”
Ade 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 condemnation was directed at the yellow card shown to Calvin Bassey, which will see him miss the third-place play-off.
Ilerioluwakiye addressed the foul that got Bassey a yellow card, which sees him miss the Eagles’ next game.
“How will a referee give a yellow card to someone whose shirt they pulled? I still don’t understand,” he said.
Laryea, 38, was picked by the Confederation of African Football to take control of the high-profile match, his second of the tournament.
Laryea’s sole previous experience at the finals was in December, when he officiated Burkina Faso’s 1-0 defeat to Algeria in Group E.
The Ghanaian’s instagram account has also been shot down after Nigerian fans reported him over the yellow card he gave bassey.
The FIFA-listed referee was assisted by Zakhele Siwela of South Africa, Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho, and Arsenio Maringule of Mozambique, with Samuel Uwikunda serving as the fourth official.
Video Assistant Abongile Tom of South Africa oversaw referee responsibilities from the screens, while Haythem Guirat of Tunisia and Stephen Onyango Yiembe of Kenya served as assistant VAR officials.
Laryea has been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2014 and is a regular fixture in Ghana’s Premier League.
His previous experience includes officiating at the African Nations Championship, the AFCON, and the CAF Women’s Champions League.
