‘That penalty is a joke’ — Queiroz slams referee decision in Ghana’s loss to Côte d’Ivoire
Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has criticised the penalty awarded to Côte d’Ivoire during Ghana’s 2-0 defeat in Bouaké, describing the decision as “a joke” and questioning the absence of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The second-half penalty gave Côte d’Ivoire a two-goal advantage and made Ghana’s task of mounting a comeback considerably more difficult.
“That penalty is a joke. I just saw it on television,” Queiroz said after the match.
“When we are 1-0 down, and we fight for our chances, for our opportunities, somebody should not come in and make that decision.”
The Portuguese coach also questioned why VAR was not being used during a qualifying competition for what he described as the continent’s biggest football tournament.
“Why don’t we have VAR in an Africa Cup of Nations competition? Which example do we want to give to the world?” he asked.
“The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are for the biggest competition on the continent, and we don’t have VAR to help the referee make the game fair.”
Queiroz, however, stressed that his criticism was directed at the officiating and was not intended to take anything away from Côte d’Ivoire’s performance.
He praised the Ivorian players and separated the disputed penalty decision from their efforts on the pitch.
“My comment about the mistake of the referee has nothing to do with Côte d’Ivoire. It has nothing to do with the merit or the quality of the players of Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.
The Black Stars coach further argued that the penalty had a major influence on the outcome of the match, particularly because Ghana had been trailing by only one goal before the decision.
He said attempting to recover from a two-goal deficit was significantly more difficult than trying to level a match when behind by a single goal.
Aikines Anyomi
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