F ootball analyst Felix Ijegalu has expressed mixed feelings about the just-concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, commending Morocco for its world-class football infrastructure while raising serious concerns about officiating and administrative bias. Speaking on Sunrise FM’s live programme, Matters of the Moment, Ijegalu praised Morocco’s quality football amenities, describing them as a benchmark for African football development. However, he strongly condemned what he described as favouritism by some Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials, particularly in matches involving Morocco and a few other countries. He emphasized that football remains a beautiful game only when it is played and officiated fairly. Ijegalu alleged that officiating in some matches was predetermined, calling for a review of the Morocco versus Nigeria match, which he described as poorly officiated and biased.
He also criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for failing to adequately amplify and highlight Nigeria’s concerns during the tournament, noting that this limited public awareness and follow-up on questionable decisions. He further urged the NFF to invest more in Nigerian football, stressing the importance of consistently showcasing Nigeria’s visuals and identity during matches. On tournament structure, Ijegalu argued that converting AFCON into a four-year tournament would not meet the aspirations of football fans across the continent and may fall short of the revenue projections promised by tournament organizers. Also another analyst, Mr. Moses Iyebo, while assessing the tournament, stated that though the officiating was not perfect, noted that some of the refereeing decisions were fair. He described the tournament overall as a great competition.
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