Carlos Queiroz walked into his post-match press conference, looked directly at a FIFA official in the room, and asked a question that was really not a question at all.
“I’m not sure VAR is still working in the World Cup. We still have VAR? Is it working?”
The sarcasm was sharp. The anger behind it was real. And after watching what happened in Foxborough on Tuesday night, it is very difficult to argue with him.
Ghana held England to a goalless draw in their Group L clash, a result that on paper looks fair.
But the story of what happened on that pitch tells a very different story. England were fortunate. Ghana was robbed.
And VAR, the technology FIFA has spent years telling us would bring justice to football, spent the evening doing absolutely nothing.
The most glaring incident came in the 79th minute. Prince Kwabena Adu burst into the England penalty area and was met by Ezri Konsa flying in with a challenge.
The Aston Villa defender appeared to catch Adu on the right knee without getting any meaningful contact on the ball.
Ghana’s players appealed immediately. The referee waved it away. VAR did not intervene.
Wayne Rooney did not mince his words
“I think that’s a penalty,” he said.
“Konsa takes a huge risk. His feet are off the floor when he comes flying in and he gets the man, not the ball.” Former England defender Micah Richards went even further.
“Konsa makes absolutely no contact at all with the ball. He brings down his opponent.
“He is airborne, he is out of control, he makes contact with the attacker. For me this was a penalty kick.”
That was not even the only contentious moment of the night.
On the 67th minute, Ghana’s Prince Adu collided with Jordan Pickford outside the England penalty area.
In real time, it looked like the Everton goalkeeper had committed a foul on Adu after the ball had gone past him.
Yet, the referee awarded a free kick to England.
Had the correct call been made, Pickford would almost certainly have been sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
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Ghana would have had a penalty and England would have been down to ten men.
“We had our chances to the point that they’re lucky. They’re very lucky,” Queiroz said. “Once again, VAR went for a coffee.”
Ghana goes into their final group game needing a result.
England goes in relieved
And somewhere in a press conference room in Foxborough, Carlos Queiroz is still waiting for someone at FIFA to explain to him when exactly VAR decided to take a coffee break, and why it chose England vs Ghana to do it.
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