Wasn’t a fair game – Akor Adams knocks Ghanaian referee for Nigeria’s loss to Morocco at AFCON

Sevilla striker Akor Adams believes the Super Eagles of Nigeria were denied a fair chance against Morocco in the semifinal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Afrik-Foot reports.

​Nigeria finished third at the recently concluded 2025 AFCON after defeating Egypt in the third-place play-off. However, many believe the Super Eagles deserved a better outcome in the competition.

​They were forced into the bronze medal match following a penalty shootout loss to hosts Morocco in the January 14 semifinal.

That fixture stands as one of the most controversial games of the tournament due to questionable officiating.

​While referee Daniel Laryea did not make any game-changing error, the problem was the consistency of minor foul calls.

He was consistently penalizing Super Eagles players during challenges but often failed to blow the whistle when the Moroccans committed similar fouls.

​There was also the shocking yellow card shown to Calvin Bassey when the Fulham defender appeared to do nothing wrong. That booking placed him on edge for the remainder of the match.

​Akor Adams Questions Officiating In Nigeria vs Morocco Semifinal

​Sevilla star Akor Adams was in action for the Super Eagles that night, partnering Victor Osimhen at the top of the attack.

However, he remained largely anonymous throughout his 98 minutes of play. He also had some questionable calls go against him during the match.

​Speaking about the defeat, the Sevilla star noted that multiple factors contributed to the loss against Morocco, with the officiating being a significant part of them.

​”It wasn’t a completely fair game. Not because massive decisions were made to hurt the Super Eagles, but because the small decisions prevented the game from going in our favour,” Adams told Sporty TV.

​”There were also factors in the build-up to the match. We were one of the teams that had to travel twice in the span of three days. We were in Casablanca for the quarterfinals, moved from Fez to Casablanca, then back to Fez, and finally to Rabat—all in the space of four to five days.

“There was fatigue and so many other things. But we are Super Eagles; we don’t make excuses. We went into the game, gave our best, and it just happened.”

​For Adams, this represented his first major tournament with the Super Eagles. He will be hoping for a better opportunity to win silverware with Nigeria during the 2027 edition of the AFCON.