Carlos Baleba has reacted to the elimination of Cameroon from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by host nation Morocco.
Baleba, who started the clash against the Atlas Lions and had an underwhelming showing, paid particular attention to the officiating of the encounter.
Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida handled the whistle in the game, and like in most of Morocco’s games at the tournament thus far, many have felt officials are favoring the host nation.
Cameroon boss David Pagou withdrew Baleba from the clash in the 77th minute, with Jean Onana replacing him to offer more bite in attack, much of which didn't yield anything worthwhile at the end of 90 minutes.
Speaking about the penalty not given to the Indomitable Lions after defender Adam Masina put his leg in the way of Bryan Mbeumo, Carlos Baleba expressed that the game would have turned out differently if the call had gone their way.
Baleba said: “I think that if the referee had awarded the penalty, the match would have taken a different turn, but he didn’t. If VAR couldn’t see it, we’re not going to blame ourselves over that because it’s a football match.”
On the bright side, the Brighton man took positives from Cameroon’s outing at the 2025 AFCON, sharing that despite disappointment from the setback, they had a good tournament.
The 22-year-old added: “They won 2–0 from set pieces and we are eliminated. The group is disappointed, but there are a lot of positives because we had a very good tournament.
“Many of us played in our first AFCON. For the upcoming challenges, we will correct what didn’t work.”
Carlos Baleba played all of Cameroon’s matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and he picked up two yellow cards.
Indomitable Lions manager David Pagou indicated “satisfaction” with the display of his players and fixated his gaze on the future.
Pagou shared: “Unfortunately we exit but we will return calmly and continue our progression.”
Moreover, the 56-year-old, who turns 57 next Tuesday, made it known that he won't pan his lens majorly on the penalty.
He also stated: “I have not watched the highlights and I can't say much about the penalty. We lost, it was challenging. It's time to just go back home, rest and grow…”
Morocco boss Walid Regragui responded to comments regarding the Atlas Lions receiving favors from officials at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and he didn't hold back.
Regragui, who led the North African nation to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, claimed that his side “deserved” their victory.
Walid Regragui expressed: “We deserved our win. When you want to kill your dog, you accuse it of rabies!
“Cameroon didn't score a goal and the referee denied it. People want to make it seem like we're favoured by the referees. We win our matches on the field.”
Morocco will battle with the winner of the quarter-finals match between Algeria and Nigeria in the last four on January 14, 2026.
