World Cup 2022: GFA petitions FIFA over dubious penalty decision
The Ghana Football Association has petitioned FIFA against the shameful conduct of United States of America referee Ismail Elfath after he awarded a dubious and an imaginary penalty to Portugal without checking the VAR, GHANAsoccernet.com understands.
The Ghana FA has petitioned the world governing body, demanding sanctions to be taken against the disgraceful decision which has mocked the much touted VAR and thrown technology into the dustbin.
The Major Soccer League referee has come under mounting criticism after he awarded a suspicious 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.
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.
The dubious penalty awarded to Portugal changed the complexity of the game as Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cup as the Europeans were made to sweat to win 3-2 in Doha on Thursday night.
The world has been stunned by the refusal of referee Ismail Elfath to take a second look at his initial decision.
After Ronaldo converted the controversial penalty, it wasn’t long before Ghana came back, with Andre Ayew slotting the ball past the Portuguese keeper at the 75th minute from a pass from teammate Mohammed Kudus.
Soon after, Joao Felix put Portugal back in the lead at minute 78, with Rafael Leao widening the lead two minutes later.
Ghana’s Osman Bukari managed to close the gap in minute 89, but it was too late for the Black Stars to come back.
Uruguay and South Korea, the other two teams in group H, ended their game earlier today with a 0-0 draw.
The controversial victory places Portugal in an early lead as the team aims to make it out of the group stage.
