'It's Over' - Miguel Gamondi Frustrated by Poor Officiating as Tanzania Bow Out of AFCON 2025

Tanzania's head coach, Miguel Gamondi, expressed his frustration after a contentious penalty decision marked his team's elimination from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a narrow loss to Morocco.

The Taifa Stars were knocked out in the Round of 16 on Sunday evening at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, falling 1-0 to a formidable Moroccan side.

Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute, finally breaching a resilient Tanzanian defence. However, the match ended in controversy.

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Deep into stoppage time, Tanzania launched a desperate appeal for a penalty when Iddy Nado was brought down inside the box by Adam Masina.

Replays suggested Masina had shoved Nado, but referee Boubou Traoré waved away the protests, infuriating the Tanzanian players and bench.

The Malian official issued several yellow cards to members of the Tanzanian coaching staff who were demanding a VAR review from the touchline. Ultimately, the Video Assistant Referee did not intervene, and Morocco held on to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

In his post-match comments, a visibly upset Gamondi criticised the referee's decision not to award the spot-kick. Despite the bitter elimination, the Argentine coach praised his team's performance and fighting spirit.

“It is very simple…I’m not happy with some of the decisions of the referee, but it's part of the game. For me, it’s strange that the referee said there was no penalty, and VAR was not even reviewed. This is odd, but what can I do? It’s over. I cannot complain, and I cannot say anything more than that; it’s over,” he said.

Miguel Gamondi made history by becoming the first manager to guide Tanzania to the knockout stages of an AFCON tournament.

The team had advanced from the group stage as one of the best third-placed teams after securing draws against Uganda and Tunisia and losing to Nigeria.

Earlier in the tournament, Gamondi had dedicated their historic qualification for the Round of 16 to the Tanzanian citizens who lost their lives during post-election violence in October of the previous year, following a contentious presidential election.