BOUAKÉ, Côte d'Ivoire —Following Ghana's 2-0 defeat to Côte d'Ivoire in their opening AFCON 2027 qualifier, head coach Carlos Queiroz launched a scathing critique of the match officiating, specifically targeting a controversial second-half penalty.
The Black Stars were trailing 1-0 at the Stade de la Paix and pushing for an equalizer in the Group C clash when the referee pointed to the spot in the 57th minute. Franck Kessié converted to double the Elephants' lead.
In his post-match press conference, Queiroz did not mince words.
"That penalty, it is a joke," the frustrated Portuguese manager declared. "When we are one-nil down and we fight for our chances... somebody that should not play comes and creates an unbalanced situation."
The incident prompted Queiroz to question the broader standards of African football, passionately advocating for the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in all AFCON qualifiers.
"Why don't we have VAR to help the referee make the game fair?" he asked. "Which example do we want to give to the world? I am tired of this situation of referees that don't do a good job."
While Queiroz was quick to congratulate Ivory Coast on the victory, he remained firm that the officiating fundamentally altered the trajectory of the crucial qualifier.
Fan Reactions (0)