AFCON 2023: Morocco Captain Makes Referee Claim After 2:0 Loss to South Africa

• Romain Saiss was not happy with the officiating in Morocco’s loss
• The Atlas Lions were dumped out of the AFCON by South Africa
• Morocco was touted as one of the favourites to win the title

Morocco captain Romain Saiss has slammed the officiating after South Africa bundled the North Africans out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 victory in the Round of 16.

Sudanese referee, Ali Mahmood Mahmood Ismail, sent off Sofyan Amrabat in added time and also awarded the Atlas Lions a penalty when the score was 1-0 in favour of Bafana Bafana with just six minutes of normal time to play.

According to Kickoff, Saiss criticised some of the referee's decisions, including allowing South Africa’s first goal, which he claims striker Evidence Makgopa was in an offside position before he scored.

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“We are not looking for excuses, but reality obliges us to talk about these details, very blatant and heavy refereeing lapses that take us back years, such as the opponent’s first goal, how was it calculated, and depriving us of our privileges.”

Morocco's 48-year hunt for an AFCON championship continues. They have reached the knockout stage in the last four tournaments but have not made it to the finals since 2004 and have only won the AFCON once, back in 1976.

Morocco to blame for AFCON exit

Meanwhile, Morocco were the architects of their own failure at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as the tournament favourites surprise exit in the Round of 16 after losing 2-0 to South Africa, The Guardian reports.

Morocco had a chance to level with the score at 1-0 when they were awarded a penalty, but Achraf Hakimi hit the crossbar.

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The Atlas Lions also had Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat sent off late on for impeding a Bafana Bafana attack while being the last man in the defence.

AFCON top teams humbled

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Morocco joined the list of top-ranked nations to be eliminated early from the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, losing 2-0 to South Africa in the round of 16.

The Atlas Lions, looking to end an almost five-decade title drought, were favourites after going successfully through the group stages, buoyed by their 2022 FIFA World Cup victory.

However, Bafana Bafana pulled off a massive upset, with Evidence Makgopa, an Orlando Pirates striker, setting the tone.