VAR went for a coffee: Ghana’s coach laments missed penalty call in England draw
By Luke Oluoch, June 24, 2026Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz has hit out at the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after his team was denied a clear penalty call in their 0-0 draw against England on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Despite his team being castigated for an overly defensive approach, the former Iran coach also read a different script from their strategy, stating that they did try to win the match, as he lamented how the penalty call was never called or reviewed.
“Lucky England”
“We never sat back without trying to score, which was our main goal: to surprise them on a weak point and try to win the game. We had our chances till the time; they were lucky. VAR went for a coffee, and it was natural. It was a clear penalty; you guys also saw that, or was it only me who saw it?” he quizzed.
The seasoned tactician was praise-worthy of Ghana’s display, saying their celebration after the full-time whistle was justified owing to the calibre of opposition they were up against in the top-table Group L second-round match.
“To collect points in this World Cup, you have to work for it. The wins and points are expensive. When you get a point or win, you have to celebrate; it takes commitment, emotions, and sacrifice. It is why we fought during ninety minutes and against a team with Premier League players and experience and ready to compete to the last the entire ninety against them; we have to praise the players and celebrate,” he said.
Penalty incident
The penalty incident happened midway through the final half from a Black Stars’ counter-attacking move that ended with substitute Prince Adu Kwabena going down inside the box after a flying tackle from Ezri Konsa.
The striker was one-on-one with Jordan Pickford when the Aston Villa centre back chased back the before flying with a last-ditch tackle in an attempt to tackle the ball but ended up never touching the ball and fouling Adu instead.
However, the call was not reviewed even by the Video Assistants as a check for an offside during the build-up, and a subsequent foul on an English player dominated the aftermath of the resulting dangerous attack
Among the pundits who have waded into the debate is Wayne Rooney, who affirmed the penalty claim as he castigated Konsa for flying in for the challenge.