Controversial Referee Dahane Beida Appointed for Nigeria vs Morocco AFCON 2025 Semi-final
Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida has been appointed to officiate Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Nigeria and hosts Morocco, sparking debate over CAF’s referee selections.
Beida’s recent performance in Morocco’s 2–0 quarter-final win over Cameroon drew criticism after he denied Bryan Mbeumo a penalty in the 68th minute.
The match was originally set to be handled by Egyptian referee Amin Omar, but Morocco’s FA reportedly objected to his appointment.
The 33-year-old official has faced scrutiny before. He was accused of favouring Moroccan club RS Berkane in their Confederation Cup final victory over Simba of Tanzania, and he also refereed the 2023 AFCON final in Abidjan, where Nigeria lost 2–1 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire.
Beida has already overseen Nigeria’s opening game at AFCON 2025, a 2–1 win over Tanzania. His reappointment for another high-stakes fixture has raised questions about consistency and neutrality in referee assignments at this tournament.
