Key Points
- Semenyo says Ghana must be more aggressive around referees.
- A penalty appeal went unreviewed in Ghana’s 0-0 draw with England.
- Coach Carlos Queiroz said VAR “went for a coffee break.”
- Ghana need a win or draw vs. Croatia to reach the knockouts.
Ghana is done being polite with the officials. After a penalty shout went unreviewed in their 0-0 draw with England, forward Antoine Semenyo said the Black Stars need to start working the referees: “As a team, we need to be more aggressive around the officials, whether they’re staying down longer as a player or… the coaches on the sideline pestering the fourth official.”
The trigger was referee Said Martinez waving away an airborne Ezri Konsa challenge. Manager Carlos Queiroz was blunter: VAR, he said, “went for a coffee break,” adding that a decade after its World Cup debut “there is no excuse” for officiating this poor.
It’s a revealing thing to say out loud. Semenyo is essentially arguing that gamesmanship — surrounding refs, milking contact — is a competitive skill Ghana has been too principled to use, and that principle is costing them points. The Black Stars can make it moot against Croatia on Saturday in Philadelphia, where a win or draw sends them through after their opening win over Panama.
Source: CBS Sports, Field Level Media
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