Semenyo: Ghana must pressure refs harder over VAR
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- Antoine Semenyo urged Ghana teammates to be more aggressive around match officials, suggesting players should 'gang around the referee and complain' and that coaches should pester the fourth official to force VAR reviews
- Carlos Queiroz said VAR 'went for a coffee break' after Ghana's draw with England, where Prince Kwabena Adu was taken down by Ezri Konsa in the box without a penalty being awarded
- Ghana also believed they should have had a penalty during their victory over Panama, making it two consecutive group matches where a penalty call did not go their way
- Queiroz argued Ghana 'should be qualified with six points' if the penalty decisions had been correctly awarded, noting the team has a strong penalty conversion rate and has practiced the situations
- Queiroz called on FIFA to review its VAR procedures, noting that 2018 was the first World Cup with VAR and there is 'no excuse' for the technology not being better after 10 years
- Ghana faces Croatia on Saturday, June 27 at 5 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, with a win potentially enough to win Group L
Why it matters: Queiroz's claim that Ghana 'should be qualified with six points' turns a VAR complaint into a direct qualification grievance, and his public call on FIFA to review its own technology marks a pointed escalation from a coach whose tournament standing depends on the very system he's criticizing. Semenyo's tactical advice — stay down longer, swarm the ref, pester the fourth official — lays bare the structural problem FIFA created: players are told not to simulate, but staying up means VAR rarely intervenes.
