There have been mixt reactions by Nigerian football loyalists following the Super Eagles’ defeat to Morocco in the 2025 AFCON semi-final held in Rabat Stadium in Morocco.
The match held yesterday 14th January, 2026, which ended with a 4-2 penalty shootout loss after a timeline of 120 minutes was appraised as a good match from football lovers.
Nigerians across have come out to express their displeasure on what is said to be poor officiating.
The CEO of Osefort Ventures Limited, Mr Festus Edovia, urged President of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, to in subsequent matches appoint referees that would be objective while performing their duties.
He applauded the Nigerian players who were topnotch in their game despite all hurdles, although the officiating referee ought to be sanctioned.
Also speaking, Grace Adekunle, a 200-level student of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism emphasised Nigerian players’ efforts were commendable.
She criticized the limited ticket availability for Nigerians, preventing adequate support in the stadium.
Grace believed the lack of a supportive Nigerian crowd, compared to the enthusiastic Moroccan fans, negatively impacted the team’s morale and performance.
She felt that a larger Nigerian presence could have encouraged the players to strive harder.
Moreover, a student of NIJ, Emmanuel Onwe, felt Nigeria played too defensively, hindering their attack.
He criticised the coach’s substitutions, suggesting Ejike should have been brought in earlier to boost the attack.
He questioned the decision to use defenders for penalty kicks instead of attackers like Lookman and Simon.
Emmanuel added that the officiating was biased due to the referee’s nationality and the Video Assistance Referee (VAR) being from South Africa, alleging a setup.
While praising CAF’s overall efforts, he urged them to improve, especially regarding referee neutrality.
Despite the loss, he acknowledged the Nigerian team’s generally strong performance throughout the tournament.
