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The Instagram page of Ghanaian referee, Daniel Nii Laryea, has been brought down.

This followed what many have described as controversial officiating during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco.

There has been apprehension over his nationality ahead of the game, with Ghana and Nigeria bitter West African rivals.

Nii Laryea did not douse those fears as he made some questionable calls, including showing Calvin Bassey a yellow card which triggered a one-match ban.

Nigerian fans reportedly found the Ghanaian official’s page on Instagram and Twitter and mass-reported it.

“The referee was appalling,” Nigeria defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, said in the mixed zone.

“I’m not saying that’s the reason why we lost but he was making very, very wrong decisions and it’s really painful to see that we have referees like that in a game like today.”

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We’re proud of you despite loss to Morocco, FG hails hard fighting Super Eagles

The Federal Government has hailed the Super Eagles for their hard fighting spirit and commendable showing at the Africa Cup of Nations, despite their loss that ended Nigeria’s campaign.

Nigeria bowed out of the 2025 AFCON on Wednesday after losing to Morocco’s Atlas Lions in a tense penalty shootout, a result that sent the North African side through to the final.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Super Eagles’ performance reflected discipline, unity and resilience, values he noted resonate strongly with the Nigerian spirit.

He added that the team’s determination throughout the tournament remained a source of pride for the country, regardless of the outcome.

“Even in defeat, you showed character, teamwork, and resilience, and those qualities matter deeply to the nation you represent.

“Football has its highs and lows, but your effort, commitment, and fighting spirit throughout this tournament have earned the respect and gratitude of Nigerians at home and abroad.

“You reminded us that wearing the green and white is about courage, unity, and never giving up. Hold your heads high. Learn from this experience, stay united, and return stronger.

“Nigeria remains proud of you and grateful for the joy and hope you gave us during this competition. Well done, Super Eagles.
The nation stands with you, always,” the statement read in part.

Bounou saved from Samuel Chukwueze and brilliantly from Bruno Onyemaechi, allowing Youssef En-Nesyri to convert the winning kick and spark wild celebrations inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Morocco will now play Senegal on Sunday after the Lions of Teranga defeated Mohamed Salah’s Egypt 1-0 in the other semi-final earlier thanks to a Sadio Mane goal.

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Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty and Yassine “Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday.

Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved one but was bettered by Bono in the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 with extra time in front of 65,458 mostly Morocco supporters in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

“We played with 12 (players),” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said of the fans. There were some green-clad Nigeria fans present, struggling to make themselves heard.

The host nation set up a title match in the same stadium Sunday with 2021 champion Senegal, which defeated Egypt 1-0 the other semifinal earlier in Tangier.

Morocco is bidding for its first title since its only success in 1976 and tickets for the decider are likely to command steep prices.

There were reports before Wednesday’s game that tickets with a face value of 300-500 dirhams ($32-42) for the semifinal were going for as much as 7,000 dirhams ($760) or more on the illegal market.

It was easy to tell which team was in possession from the deafening chorus of fans’ whistles any time a Nigeria player had the ball.

Calvin Bassey was the first to receive the home fans’ piercing welcome when he took a walk out alone on the field before the match. He responded with a huge smile.

Morocco went close with the early chances with Semi Ajayi producing a brilliant block to stop Ismael Saibari. Brahim Díaz whipped a shot past the far post and then tried riling up the already riled crowd.

Bassey was booked for a tactical foul outside the penalty box, which would have ruled him out of the final with a suspension if the Super Eagles made it. Instead he’ll miss the unpopular third-place decider against Egypt in Casablanca on Saturday.

Ademola Lookman had Nigeria’s only shot on target — too close to Bono in the Morocco goal after some fine team play. Ultimately, there was too little of that from the Super Eagles.

“It was a team that had scored 14 goals. They had two shots and only hit the target once. That tells you something,” Regragui said.

His team had 16 shots, five on target, with Díaz, Ayoub El Kaabi and Achraf Hakimi all enjoying good chances. Nigeria held on to get the game to the shootout, where Bono saved from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi to set up El-Nesyri for the winner.