The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Laryea to officiate the semi-final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) between Nigeria and Morocco.

This decision comes amid rumours that Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida, who officiated the quarter-final match between Morocco and Cameroon, may have been appointed to officiate the match.

The match will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday at 9 PM Nigerian time.

Nii Laryea will lead the officiating team, with South Africa’s Zakhele Siwela and Lesotho’s Souru Phatsoane serving as assistant referees. Arsénio Maringule from Mozambique will act as the third assistant referee, while Rwanda’s Samuel Uwikunda will be the fourth official.

In the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) booth, Tom Abongile from South Africa, Haythem Guirat from Tunisia, and Stephen Yiembe from Kenya will be present. Lydia Abebe has been designated as the referee assessor for the match.

Initially, Egyptian referee Amin Omar was scheduled to officiate the game, but CAF replaced him at the last minute due to concerns raised by Morocco about the late announcement and the lack of clarity regarding the officiating crew. Morocco described the situation as unacceptable for a match of this significance.

The Cameroonian Football Association (FA) has expressed outrage over the decision and is reportedly planning to appeal, arguing that the last-minute change is unfair and could disrupt their preparations.

The reshuffle affected not only the center referee but the entire officiating team, including the VAR officials, who were confirmed for the quarter-final match after the change was made. CAF has stated that the decision was made to ensure neutrality, but fans and football federations are questioning whether such last-minute changes lead to more controversy than clarity.