Walid Rukrakki, the coach of the Moroccan national team, strongly rejected the allegations that the “Atlas Lions” benefited from favorable refereeing decisions as the host team for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, following Morocco’s victory over Cameroon with a score of 2-0 in the quarter-final match on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Rukrakki said in the press conference after the match: “We are the team that everyone has to overcome, and that is why some are looking for any excuse to claim that Morocco is gaining an unfair advantage. The only real advantage we have is playing in front of about 65,000 fans in our stadium. Everything else happens on the field, and we only talk about performance and results there.”
He added that the criticisms come from “enemies who want to see us fall,” pointing out that the statistics clearly prove Morocco’s superiority: “We create many more chances than our opponents, and no goal for Cameroon or any other team we faced has been disallowed. When some want something, they find a justification for it.”
Refereeing Controversy in the Match
The match, which was officiated by Mauritanian referee Dahan Bida (who replaced an Egyptian referee after the Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s protest), witnessed some controversial decisions:
- Cameroon faced two potential penalty situations that were not awarded, the first after Adam Masina’s tackle on Bryan Mbeumo, and the second after Masina’s elbow touched Eita Eyonge’s head inside the area in the final minutes.
- Additionally, Bilal Khannous did not receive a second yellow card after stopping a counterattack.
Rukrakki refused to discuss the refereeing directly, saying: “I never talk about referees. Personally, I saw penalties that could have been awarded to us in previous matches. The better team wins, and we deserve all our victories.”
- Modified from the American Press Agency AP
