AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Carlos Queiroz Questions VAR Absence After Ghana Defeat

• Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz voiced frustration over the lack of VAR in African football following the Black Stars' defeat to Côte d'Ivoire
• Malick Yalcouyé and Franck Kessié scored for the Elephants at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké
• Queiroz singled out the penalty that led to Kessié's goal, raising questions about the standard of refereeing on the continent

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has called out the absence of VAR in African football after his side fell to a 2-0 defeat against Côte d'Ivoire in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Thursday, September 24.

The match, played at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, was decided by goals from Malick Yalcouyé in the first half and Franck Kessié after the break, with Kessié's goal coming from the penalty spot.

Queiroz targets VAR and refereeing standards

It was the controversial penalty that drew the sharpest response from the 73-year-old Portuguese tactician.

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Carlos Queiroz points to refereeing after Ghana’s defeat to Côte d’Ivoire

Queiroz believes VAR would have given the referee the tools needed to make a more accurate call and produce a fairer outcome on the night.

"Why don't we have VAR in Africa? What is the reason we don't have VAR in an African Cup of Nations?" he asked after the game, as quoted by Ghanasoccernet.

"We don't have VAR to help the referee to make the game fair," he added.

The 73-year-old went further, suggesting that poor officiating is a persistent problem across the continent and one he finds deeply troubling given his own African roots.

"I was born in Mozambique; I grew up here, and I'm tired of these situations, of these referees that don't do a good job," he said.

Black Stars face difficult task in Group C

Ghana had already conceded Yalcouyé's opener before Kessié converted the disputed penalty to put the result beyond doubt.

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Ivory Coast 2-0 Ghana: Five lessons from Black Stars’ defeat in AFCON 2027 qualifier

The Black Stars were unable to mount a comeback and leave Bouaké with nothing from their first Group C outing.

The defeat places immediate pressure on the squad as they look ahead to their next qualifier against The Gambia on September 29, with the group stage still at an early enough point for Ghana to recover ground.

However, the result underlines the work Queiroz will need to do to steady the team's AFCON qualification campaign.

5 things we learned from Ghana's defeat

Earlier, YEN.com.gh looked at five things Ghana’s defeat unveiled about the Black Stars.

One of them was the lack of impact from Kwasi Sibo and Caleb Yirenkyi in midfield as Côte d’Ivoire controlled the game.

Source: YEN.com.gh