The Ghana Football Association has petitioned football’s governing body, FIFA, demanding sanctions to be taken against centre referee Ismail Elfath and VAR after a dubious penalty decision awarded to Portugal in the group H game between Ghana and Portugal.
The Major Soccer League referee has come under criticism after he awarded a suspicious penalty against the Black Stars at the 974 Stadium in Doha.
The Moroccan-born American official refused to have a second look on the VAR monitor and judged Mohammed Salisu’s challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo as a foul in the penalty area.
However, television replays have shown the referee got it wrong and that decision should never have stood.
This shameful decision has sparked outrage around the world, with many questioning the essence of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to reduce such unfortunate incidents.
Fans believe the dubious penalty awarded to Portugal changed the complexion of the game as Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cup.
The Black Stars drew level some minutes later but conceded two quick goal in a space of five minutes.
Ghana’s Osman Bukari managed to close the gap but it was too late for the Black Stars to come back.
The game ended 3-2 in favor of the Portuguese and means the Black Stars need to win their second group game against a stubborn South Korea side.
Ghana’s second group game is on Monday, 28 November, 2022 against South Korea before facing Uruguay in the final group game on December 2.
