Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has firmly dismissed suggestions that officiating decisions have favoured the Atlas Lions at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting his team’s progress has been earned purely on the pitch.
His comments followed Morocco’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Cameroon, a match overshadowed by refereeing controversy, particularly a second-half incident in which Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo went down in the penalty area under a challenge, only for the referee to wave play on.
The match was officiated by Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida, who was appointed late after Morocco objected to the original selection of Egyptian official Amin Mohamed Omar ; a development that further fuelled debate around the game.
Addressing the issue head-on in his post-match press conference, Regragui pushed back strongly against the narrative.
“Cameroon didn’t score, and the referee denied it,” he said. “People want to make it seem like we’re favoured by the referees. We win our matches on the field.”
Morocco’s victory was secured by a decisive fifth goal of the tournament from Brahim Díaz, as the host nation booked a semi-final clash against Nigeria, who edged Algeria 2-0 in their quarter-final.
With pressure intensifying ahead of the showdown with the Super Eagles, Regragui’s response underlines Morocco’s determination to keep the focus on performance rather than controversy as they continue their pursuit of AFCON glory.
