PHILADELPHIA - As Ghana prepare to face Croatia on Saturday in the final day of the World Cup group stage, defeating Croatia could give Ghana a chance to win their group after already securing an impressive result in a draw with England, but it's also a game where Ghana could've had six points and been able to rotate, potenitally, if a penalty was given when Prince Kwabena Adu was taken down by Ezri Konsa. After the clash, Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz said that VAR "went for a coffee break" and questioned if it is still working.
Ahead of facing Croatia, the incident came up yet again, and forward Antoine Semenyo revealed that it came up in training with the team, especially since there was also an incident during the Panama victory where the Black Stars felt that they should've had a penalty.
"As players, we need to gang around the referee and complain, you could say something like that," Semenyo said with a smile. "I was right next to it, I was the first one to put my hands up because I was right next to it, but I think as a team we need to be more aggressive around the officials, whether it's staying down longer as a player or the coaches on the sideline pestering the fourth official. I think that's what we need to do because it's quite frustrating that they haven't checked it twice now."
There's a fine line between selling a penalty and simulation, but in a way, Semenyo's right. If a player does go down, it's more likely to draw a stoppage and a chance that an incident can be reviewed than staying up when it may look like business as usual. When the line for VAR is supposed to be to review clear and obvious errors, play continuing can make it tough to judge that, even if it is a referee's job to figure that out. Queiroz admitted that even he is in a tough position on what players should do in situations like this.
"In the game, a least in many times when these incidents happen, they come to me and they used to say, 'oh your players didn't even pritest' if they protest they get yellow cards so we don't know where or where we shoudl stand but I think I think it's before this game, Croaita doesn't have nothing to do with what happend int he last game so they don't deserve that in the press confrence about what happend in the past the fact it is, we shoudl be qualified with six points in this moment," Queiroz said. "And because we have a good rate at scoring penalties, we believe that if the penalties happen, we should be qualified already, but Croatia deserves our respect."
He added that these issues should be in FIFA's hands because after 10 years of VAR at the World Cup, it should be better by now.
"2018 was the first World Cup with VAR, and 10 years have passed [since VAR was implemented]," Queiroz said. "There is no excuse, no reason for it not to be better than this. So it's time for FIFA authorities to review what has been happening behind the scenes, and I don't want to extend more of my comments, but one thing is clear: when VAR comes, it was to help referees to referee and make good decisions, and we hope that will be better in the next few years.
It will be interesting to see how Ghana approaches a VAR review if a penalty incident comes up facing Croatia on Saturday, but as this World Cup has allowed games to be played on the more physical side, a balance must be struck.
How to watch Croatia vs. Ghana
Date: Saturday, June 27 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field -- Philadelphia, Penn.
TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Croaita -133; Draw +230; Ghand +450
