Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (born 11 September 1987) is a Ghanaian football referee who is a listed international referee for FIFA since 2014. He is also one of the referees for the

Ghana Premier League The is the top professional association football division of the football league system in Ghana. Officially formed in 1956 to replace a previous league incarnation, the Gold Coast Club Competition (which began in 1933 and ended in 1953–54), t ...

. In 2021, Laryea was officially selected as a referee for the delayed

2020 African Nations Championship The 2020 African Nations Championship, known as the Total African Nations Championship (also referred to as CHAN 2020) was the 6th edition of the African Nations Championship, a biennial football tournament organized by the Confederation of Afri ...

in Cameroon. He officiated the 2021 Ghanaian FA Cup final between Hearts of Oak and the Ashanti Gold. Laryea was also one of the appointed referees of the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...

in Cameroon.

Early life

Laryea was born on 11 September 1987 in Accra. He had his secondary education at the Accra Academy where he played football and later became the goalkeeper for the school's football team. He holds a bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the

University of Ghana Business School University of Ghana Business School formerly School of Administration is the undergraduate and post graduate Business School of the University of Ghana in Accra Ghana. It is also the premier and the largest Business School in Ghana. History UG ...

, and a degree in Physical Education from the

University of Education, Winneba A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

Career

Laryea began as a professional referee in the Ghanaian lower division league at the age of 17 in 2005. In 2012, aged 24, he officiated his first

between Medeama and Berekum Chelsea, and two years later, he became a FIFA listed referee. Following his enlistment, Laryea has officiated in a number of international football competitions including; the 2017 CAF U-17 Cup of Nations which was held in

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

, the 2018 WAFU Cup of Nations in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, the 2018 CHAN hosted by

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, and the 2020 CHAN tournament held in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. He was summoned to officiate the 2021 Ghanaian FA Cup final between Hearts of Oak and the Ashanti Gold. He also officiated the high-profile debut match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in the 2020–21 season. Laryea was also one of the appointed referees of the

in Cameroon. Laryea officiated during the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League in Morroco. He was the Assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) for the

2022 CAF Women's Champions League Final The 2022 CAF Women's Champions League Final was the final match of the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League, the second edition of Africa's premier women's club football tournament organised by CAF. It was played at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium i ...

. On 6 December 2022, he also made the list of officials for the rescheduled 2022 African Nations Championship in Algeria. On 13 January 2023, he served as the Assistant video assistant referee for the opening match for the competition between

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

Personal life

Laryea enjoys physical training and basketball in his leisure time. He also loves to model and take pictures.

References

External links

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Daniel Nii Laryea
at World Referee {{DEFAULTSORT:Laryea, Daniel Nii 1987 births Living people Ghanaian football referees People from Accra Sportspeople from Accra Alumni of the Accra Academy University of Ghana alumni University of Education, Winneba alumni Ga-Adangbe people