Semenyo calls for more pressure on referees
Ghana star Antoine Semenyo has urged his team to “gang around the referee” more after a potential penalty against England was not reviewed. The Black Stars held the Three Lions to a historic 0-0 draw in Group L of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday. With a win or draw against Croatia on Saturday, Ghana can secure a top-two finish. However, many believe they should be leading the group instead of sitting second on four points with an inferior goal difference to England.
The controversy occurred in the 79th minute when Ezri Konsa’s airborne challenge on Prince Kwabena Adu went unpunished. Referee Said Martinez did not consult the VAR monitor, much to the frustration of Manchester City forward Semenyo and manager Carlos Queiroz.
Players need to be more aggressive around officials
“As players, we need to gang around the referee and complain. You could say something like that,” Semenyo said. “I think as a team, we need to be more aggressive around the officials, whether they’re staying down longer as a player or obviously the coaches on the sideline pestering the fourth official.”
Ghana also felt they should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-0 win over Panama in the group opener. Queiroz, managing in his fifth World Cup, said these incidents put his players in difficult positions. “When these incidents happen, they come to me, they used to come to me, and they say, ‘Oh, your players didn’t even protest,’” Queiroz said. “But if they protest, they get yellow cards. So we don’t know where we should stand.”
Queiroz criticizes VAR after 10 years
Queiroz also expressed frustration at the current implementation of replay technology, a decade after its first use. “Because VAR (was) born in 2016, 2018 was the first World Cup. Ten years is gone. There is no excuse, no reason for VAR not to be better than this. No excuse. So it’s time for FIFA authorities to review what has been happening behind the scenes,” he said.
A win for Ghana, combined with an England draw or loss against Panama, would see the Black Stars top the group. A second-place finish would mean a return to Toronto, where midfielder Thomas Partey was denied entry by Canadian immigration officials for the match against Panama. Partey faces seven charges of rape and two of sexual assault in Britain, allegations he has denied.
Queiroz suggested the media should pressure Canadian authorities. “I think your second question should be addressed to the visa authorities of Canada, not me,” he said of Partey’s possible status for another match in Canada. “I challenge you to say you should ask those questions. You are the press. You are the guys that you have the power to inform people and probably influence public opinion, not us. This is not our job. Our job it is to respect the decisions, accept the decisions that they made.”
