Ghanaian coach and analyst Christopher Nimley has slammed his compatriot, referee Daniel Laryea, for poor officiating in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final loss to Morocco.
Nigeria fell 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw in extra time at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday night.
Laryea’s performance has garnered considerable criticism from Nigerian fans, and now from a fellow Ghanaian, with Nimley giving the referee three out of ten in a video posted on X.
“He did so bad. Who spoke to him before the game? We want our referees in such big games, and if this is our top-most referee and he did that game like that, who gets the next chance?” Nimley said.
“He should have nailed this performance, irrespective of who is in favor or not.”
The Super 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.
Nimley also stated that officiating in that manner ruins a team’s attack, saying, “When a referee starts officiating a game like that, you are preventing the other team from playing their game. If you think it is not impacting the game, you don’t know football.
“Football is about rhythm. Every team gets a five- to ten-minute spell. And every 50:50 ball was given to Morocco, and those were the balls that could have helped the Super Eagles to get a goal.”
However, Laryea, 38, has dismissed the bias claims, insisting that he officiates strictly according to the laws of the game. He received a hero’s welcome at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra on Saturday.
“For me, I just do my refereeing. I don’t listen to what is going on on social media. We just apply the laws of the game,” he told Joy TV.
