Head coach of Morocco, Walid Regragui has jumped to the defense of referees amid criticism at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Concerns were raised during the quarterfinal matches, with Algeria petitioning the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) over unfair decisions in Nigeria defeat.
On the other hand, Cameroon had also express their displeasure about officiating after falling short to the Atlas Lions.
But Regragui has jumped to the defense of referees, stressing controversy about officiating exists globally.
“It’s unfortunate that we always talk about refereeing, but controversy exists everywhere. I always defend Africa and I see that everyone is doing their best, but for example, El Khnous was pushed during the Mali match and nothing was called. In the last match there was a violent tackle, and if the video technology had been used, their player should have been sent off. I only respond to these matters on the field. The Cameroonian national team feels that the refereeing was unfair, but they did not take any shots on goal. We only focus on the field and nothing else, and we are one of the teams that were wronged by the refereeing.”
“In my country, when you are the coach of the Moroccan national team, you have to accept that everyone criticizes you. I do my best and maybe I make some mistakes sometimes, like everyone else, but I keep focusing and fighting for my country. I tell the players that we shouldn’t pay attention to the criticism. When you only suffer four defeats in three years, no one talks about it, while they talk and criticize even when you win. Let’s hope that the next coach of Morocco will do better than I did.”
Morocco triumphed over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the quarterfinals, setting up a fierce battle with the Super Eagles, who also defeated Algeria.
In a high-stake clash on Wednesday, the Atlas Lions will lock horns with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, with victory crucial to securing qualification to the finals of the tournament.
