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Nigerian Supporters Allege Harassment by Moroccan Police at AFCON 2025 Semi-Final
Chairman of the Unified Supporters Club of Nigeria, Vincent Okumagba, has alleged that Nigerian fans were subjected to poor treatment by Moroccan police during Wednesday night’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final between Nigeria and hosts Morocco in Rabat.
The Super Eagles were eliminated after a 4–2 penalty shootout defeat, following a goalless 120 minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, as Morocco advanced to the final. It marked Nigeria’s second painful penalty loss on Moroccan soil in recent months, after their defeat to DR Congo in the CAF playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup last November.
Speaking to The Guardian from Rabat on Thursday, Okumagba said members of the Supporters Club endured hours of harassment despite arriving early at the stadium with valid match tickets.
“We got to the stadium as early as 5pm for a match scheduled for 9pm. For more than three hours, the stadium police were drilling us in the cold, pushing us from one gate to another,” he said.
According to Okumagba, police officials insisted that Nigerian supporters could not sit together because their tickets bore different gate numbers and also demanded FAN IDs, a requirement he described as unnecessary.
“They asked all manner of questions and insisted on FAN ID. I don’t understand why FAN ID was required when we all travelled to Morocco with valid visas, and we have been using our match tickets to attend other games,” he said.
He added that the situation deteriorated even after he contacted a Nigerian official working alongside Moroccan police at the stadium.
“He came, but all his explanations that members of the Supporters Club needed to sit in one place fell on deaf ears. They started pushing us, and before we knew it, thousands of Moroccan fans had occupied the seats allocated to us. It was hell in Rabat,” Okumagba alleged.
The supporters’ leader claimed the actions of the police were deliberate and aimed at preventing Nigerian fans from organising themselves to support the Super Eagles.
“All the moves by the Moroccan police were to stop us from sitting together to beat our drums and blow our trumpets to ginger the Super Eagles,” he said.
Despite his criticism of the authorities, Okumagba praised Moroccan fans for their passionate backing of the Atlas Lions, while contrasting it with what he described as negative behaviour by some Nigerian supporters at home matches.
“I won’t blame the Moroccans entirely because they demonstrated true support for their team, unlike what happens in Nigeria, where some people abuse players or throw bottles when results are not forthcoming,” he added.
Reflecting on the match itself, Okumagba expressed frustration over Nigeria’s failure in the penalty shootout, questioning the selection of kick takers.
“It was so painful to lose on penalties again. I don’t know the yardsticks for choosing defenders to take penalties when we had attackers. When we survived 120 minutes, I believed we would win,” he said.
He noted that Morocco missed their second spot-kick but Nigeria were unable to capitalise, mirroring what happened in the World Cup playoff loss to DR Congo.
“Even some Moroccans told me they were afraid when the match went to penalties. But again, we couldn’t take advantage when they missed. It was really painful,” he said.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerged as the hero of the night, saving penalties from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi, before Youssef En-Nesyri converted the decisive kick to send the Atlas Lions into the AFCON final.
