Posted by Samuel on Thu 15th Jan, 2026 - tori.ng
Osayi-Samuel wondered why a game of such calibre would have been assigned to Ayi, who he described as appalling, to handle.
Nigerian fullback Bright Osayi-Samuel has criticized the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for appointing Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi to officiate the Super Eagles’ semifinal clash against Morocco.
Osayi-Samuel wondered why a game of such calibre would have been assigned to Ayi, who he described as appalling, to handle.
According to the Birmingham defender, the Ghanaian made wrong decisions during the match.
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 semifinal match ended without any goals scored during regular time.
The result ended the Super Eagles’ chance of winning their fourth AFCON title for the fourth time as they would have hoped.
After the game, the defender talked to reporters in the mixed zone.
He 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,” Osayi-Samuel said.
The fullback said losing was really tough, but he praised Nigeria’s defense for how well they held up against Morocco.
The Super Eagles will now focus on the third-place playoff against Egypt, where they will compete for the bronze medal.