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Laryea
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.”
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