Nigerian fullback, Bright Osayi-Samuel has slammed the Confederation of African Football for appointing Ghanaian referee, Daniel Nii Ayi to officiate the Super Eagles semifinal clash with Morocco in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Osayi-Samuel wondered why a game of such calibre would have been assigned to Ayi, who he described as appalling, to handle.
The Birmingham FC defender told the media in the tournament’s mixed zone that the Ghanaian made wrong decisions during the match.
He said he was unhappy with some calls Ayi made which contributed to Nigeria’s loss.
Nigeria was eliminated from the competition after losing 4-2 in the penalty shootout, as the fixture ended without any goals scored during regular and extra times.
The result ended the Super Eagles’ chance of winning their fourth AFCON title.
Osayi-Samuel said he was unhappy with the referee’s performance and claimed that a few incorrect decisions made the game harder to play.
‘One thing I would say is that the referee was really bad. I’m not saying that was the reason we lost. He is making really bad choices and it’s really tough to watch because we have referees like this in big games like today.
‘But Morocco did really well’, he said.
The fullback said that losing was really tough, but he praised Nigeria’s defence for how well they held up against Morocco.
The Super Eagles will now focus on the third-place playoff against Egypt.
