When the whistle blows for the AFCON 2025 semi-final between Morocco and Nigeria, Ghana may not be on the pitch, but trust Ghanaians to have front-row relevance still.
Daniel Laryea, Ghana’s Man in the Middle for Morocco vs Nigeria AFCON 2025 Semi-Final
Ghana’s finest referee export is now entrusted with one of the tournament’s biggest matches.
And let’s be honest, when Ghana and Nigeria are involved in anything, even indirectly, emotions automatically clock AFCON final levels.
Ghana–Nigeria rivalry is not just football; it is cultural, historical, musical, Twitter-banters, and sometimes presidential governing. From Jollof wars to World Cup heartbreaks, music to movie wars, these two nations have turned competition into an art form.
So when a Ghanaian referee is announced to officiate a Nigeria AFCON semi-final, the internet was always going to vibrate with a lot of opinion both for and against the decision of CAF
Some Nigerians are asking if he will be Neutral? While Ghanaians are smiling and quietly replying, ” Is he CAF? And if you ask me, I will say the whole world enjoys the rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria. My opinion!
Daniel Laryea is not new to pressure. No Flag no bias, just authority. He has officiated CAF finals, World Cup qualifiers, and matches where one wrong decision could cause diplomatic tweets. This is a referee who has survived VAR reviews, hostile crowds, and post-match social media tribunals.
He was also selected for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and officiated the Ghana FA Cup final between Hearts of Oak and Ashanti Gold, one of the most intense fixtures in Ghanaian football. Domestically, he handled the high-profile Hearts of Oak versus Asante Kotoko opener during the 2020-21 season.
On the continental women’s stage, Laryea officiated at the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco and served as Assistant VAR during the final. He was also part of the officiating team for the rescheduled 2022 African Nations Championship in Algeria, including duties in the opening match between Algeria and Libya.
So if you ask me, I will say, if CAF wanted drama, they would have appointed anyone else.
But they wanted control, so they chose Laryea, because in football, the most dangerous referee is not the biased one, it is the confident one.
Ghanaians are not asking Laryea to favour Morocco or frustrate Nigeria. No. We are far more sophisticated than that.
But let’s be clear that if Nigeria wins fairly, Ghana will clap with small analysis, and
If Nigeria loses, Ghana will still clap with bigger analysis
A little reminder that while Ghana black stars may be rebuilding, Ghanaian football officials are still commanding continental respect and because referees don’t get semifinals by luck.
As Africa waits to discover the second finalist of AFCON 2025 tonight, attention will not rest solely on the flair of Nigeria’s attacking stars or the technical elegance of Morocco’s hosts. Much of the spotlight will also fall on the man in the middle, Referee Daniel Nii Laryea.
