The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea to officiate Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Nigeria and hosts Morocco.
The match, set to take place in Rabat, will determine one of the finalists of the 2025 tournament, with Nigeria aiming to reach another continental final while Morocco look to capitalise on home advantage.
Laryea will be assisted by South African officials Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela and Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho, while Arsenio Chadreque Maringule of Mozambique will serve as an additional assistant referee. Rwanda’s Samuel Uwikunda is the fourth official.
Daniel Laryea. Photo Credit: CAF
South African referee Abongile Tom will serve as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), supported by Tunisia’s Haythem Guirat and Kenya’s Stephen Onyango Yiembe as assistant VARs.
The appointment has sparked debate among Nigerian fans, given the country’s historical rivalries with both Ghana and South Africa.
Nigeria and Ghana have clashed in continental competitions for decades, while tensions with South Africa escalated during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, when Nigeria protested against South Africa fielding Teboho Mokoena.
Tom Abongile. Photo Credit: Getty Images
The protest led to a three-point deduction for Bafana Bafana. Notably, Abongile Tom previously officiated Nigeria’s CAF play-off win against Gabon.
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This will be Laryea’s second match as a centre referee at AFCON 2025. He also oversaw the group stage match between Algeria and Burkina Faso, which ended amid controversy, and served in the VAR role in Morocco’s quarter-final victory over Cameroon.
Laryea, a FIFA-badged referee since 2014, is Ghana’s only representative among the tournament’s officials.
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Nigeria head into the semi-final in strong form, having eliminated Algeria in the quarter-finals. Morocco, meanwhile, hope to use home advantage to secure a first AFCON title since 1976.
