Ghana denied penalty against England, says Queiroz

Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz expressed frustration after his side was denied what he believed was a clear penalty in their goalless draw with England on Tuesday night. The incident occurred late in the match when Prince Kwabena Adu charged into the box and was brought down by England defender Ezri Konsa, who appeared to catch Adu on the knee without making contact with the ball.

Despite replays showing Konsa's challenge was mistimed and airborne, the referee did not award a penalty, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not intervene. Queiroz sarcastically questioned the use of VAR at the World Cup, saying, "I'm not sure VAR is still working in the World Cup. We still have VAR? It's working?" He added, "It was a clear penalty, red card."

Pundits agree on penalty call

BBC pundits, including former England internationals Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards, agreed that Ghana should have been awarded a spot-kick. Rooney said, "Konsa takes a huge risk. His feet are off the floor when he comes flying in and he gets the man, not the ball. That could easily have been given in my view." Richards added, "On another day, that could have been a penalty."

Why VAR did not intervene

The lack of VAR intervention may be explained by FIFA's approach to the technology at this World Cup. Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's head of referees, has instructed officials to apply a higher threshold for on-field challenges and to limit VAR interventions to clear and obvious errors. This policy aims to maintain consistency and reduce interruptions.

Darren Cann, a former assistant referee who officiated the 2010 World Cup final, said the decision was wrong. "As an England fan I am delighted that it wasn't given, but I have to be honest, for me this should have been referred. Konsa makes absolutely no contact at all with the ball, he brings down his opponent. He is airborne, he is out of control, he makes contact with the attacker. For me this was a penalty kick."

Ghana's draw with England was a resilient performance, but the penalty controversy overshadowed the result. Queiroz's sarcastic remarks highlighted the ongoing debate about VAR's role and consistency in major tournaments.