Bright Osayi-Samuel, the right-back for the Nigerian national team, sharply criticized the referee's performance in his country's match against Morocco, held as part of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, which ended with the "Atlas Lions" qualifying through a penalty shootout.

Osayi-Samuel said in statements to Victor Adimola TV channel after the match that the referee made decisions he described as poor throughout the game, emphasizing that his performance was not suitable for the importance of the encounter.

The Nigerian player clarified that he does not hold the refereeing solely responsible for the loss, noting that those decisions were not the direct cause of exiting the tournament. However, he also expressed his frustration with the repeated refereeing errors during the match.

The right-back added: "Losing is very painful, especially since we played a strong match. The back four defense performed exceptionally, and I am proud of all the players."

He continued: "The coach was keen to express his pride in the team's performance, and so did the board members. Losing on penalties is very tough; it's more a matter of luck and doesn't always reflect what happened on the field."