Bright Osayi-Samuel has expressed dissatisfaction at the quality of officiating in Nigeria’s penalty shootout defeat to Morocco on Wednesday night.
The Super Eagles were victims of several contentious call by Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea in their semifinal loss to the host nation at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament.
There had been widespread uproar after his announcement ahead of the game, but he did little to prove doubts wrong with a below-par performance.
One notable error was a caution to Calvin Bassey in the first half, when it was obvious the defender was the one fouled by Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
The Super Eagles star will now sit out the third-place match against Egypt due to suspension, a decision that could have been avoided.
“One thing I would say is that the referee was appalling. I’m not saying that that’s the reason why we lost, but just making very, very wrong decisions,” Osayi-Samuel stated.
“It’s really painful to see that we have refs like that in a big game like today, you know. But I wish Morocco all the best.”
After 120 minutes of goalless action in Rabat, Morocco scored four of their spot-kicks to progress to the final, while Nigeria suffer another shootout heartbreak.
Osayi-Samuel expressed disappointment at the result, but was proud of how far the team has come.
“Painful, very painful, to obviously lose. I think we played very well, defense was… the back four was amazing,” Osayi-Samuel added.
“I’m proud of the team. The manager came down and said he’s proud of the team, the (NFF) board members came down and said they’re proud of the team, so it’s just really painful that you know, we lost on penalties. Penalties is all about luck, it’s a lottery, and today we didn’t win that.”
Nigeria will now face Egypt in the bronze medal match on Saturday, while Morocco and Senegal will face-off for a shot at glory in the final.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
