Ghana’s national team coach Carlos Queiroz condemned the penalty awarded to Côte d’Ivoire in the 2‑0 loss that took the Black Stars to Bouaké on Tuesday. The strike, given in the second half, gave the visitors a 2‑0 lead and left Ghana struggling to recover.
“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, somebody should not come in and make that decision.”
He also questioned why VAR is absent from the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, calling it the biggest competition on the continent. “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 qualifiers are for the biggest competition on the continent, and we don’t have VAR to help the referee make the game fair.”
Queiroz made clear his criticism was aimed at the officiating and not at the Ivorian players, whom he praised for their performance. “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 added.
He noted the penalty’s impact, arguing that falling two goals behind is far harder to overcome than a single‑goal deficit. The coach’s remarks come as Ghana looks to regroup ahead of the next round of qualifiers.
