Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea, the center of a major controversy following Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations exit, has publicly addressed the criticisms for the first time. The official broke his silence in an interview upon his return to Ghana after the conclusion of the tournament.
Referee's Defense of His Performance
In a video shared on TikTok by @allstarblog, Laryea was confronted with questions about his performance in the semi-final match, which many Nigerian fans and pundits labeled as poor and biased. The referee, appearing calm, dismissed the social media uproar.
"For me, I just do my refereeing. I just do football," Laryea stated. "I don't listen to what goes in and out of social media, whatever is going on. We just do the laws of the game and that's all."
He was specifically asked about a critical incident in Nigeria's penalty area, where many believed a handball should have been awarded to Morocco. Laryea explained his decision by citing the current handball rule.
"For me, we had VAR, and with the laws of the game, your hand should be away from your body, and if it is in a natural position and it comes off your body too, there is nobody calling it foul," he clarified.
Future Plans and Refusal to Self-Rate
When questioned about his next career moves after the AFCON 2025 tournament, the Ghanaian official shifted focus to his legacy. He expressed a desire to inspire future generations of match officials.
"Moving like this to inspire the next generation," Laryea said. "Because, maybe we can't do all, but the ones looking up to us, they have to go to the next level. So, we keep doing this."
However, the referee pointedly declined to rate his own performance in the high-stakes semi-final clash. "I cannot rate my performance, but all I know is football wins," he concluded, a statement that further fueled debate among followers of the game.
Nigerian Social Media Backlash and Reactions
The interview, conducted at a Ghanaian airport, sparked immediate and fierce reactions on Nigerian social media platforms. Fans and commentators expressed their dissatisfaction with both the referee's explanations and the line of questioning.
One user, Militoeaud, criticized Laryea's consistency: "The laws of the game but person kick the ball angry after you blew the whistle so you forget the laws of the game at that time …..incompetent referee."
Another user, notjustvictor, showed clear anger: "Rubbish..so why did he now take it ? make I no just see am outside Ghana again o."
Some comments also targeted the interviewers. User ~ Dr President remarked: "Some bloggers asked unnecessary questions to pin interviewee in a bad shape but I'm glad Laryea didn't talk much. How can he rate his own performance?? Aahh Ghana Bloggers."
The controversy had significant personal fallout for Laryea. It was previously reported that the referee deactivated his Instagram account following the match, likely due to the barrage of criticism and negative comments from angry Nigerian supporters.
The appointment of a Ghanaian official for a match involving Nigeria, a longstanding regional rival, had been a point of contention even before the kickoff. The fallout from the game, including a yellow card shown to Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey which ruled him out of the third-place match, cemented the match's status as one of the most controversial of the tournament.
