{
  "id": 9761587,
  "title": "AFCON 2027Q: ‘Why don’t we have VAR in Africa?’ – Queiroz reacts to controversial penalty",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/afcon-2027q-why-dont-we-have-var-in-africa-queiroz-reacts-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T11:59:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/afcon-2027q-why-dont-we-have-var-in-africa-queiroz-reacts-to-controversial-penalty/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz has expressed his frustration over the lack of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in Africa following Ghana's 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. The hosts emerged victorious with a 2-0 triumph, with Franck Kessié converting a penalty awarded to Ghana in the 58th minute. However, this did not spare the Black Stars from an early controversy as they were docked a goal-scoring opportunity due to a contentious penalty call against them.\n\nQueiroz was unhappy with the decision and questioned its fairness during the post-match press conference. He highlighted that if VAR is not available for Ghana, how can it be justified for the teams competing in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers? Queiroz concluded by emphasizing his disappointment in the current situation where referees are not making accurate decisions, thereby affecting the fairness of the game. The Black Stars now sit at the bottom of Group C and will have a rematch against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 29.",
  "summary": "Queiroz was unhappy with the penalty decision that went against his side in the second half and used his post-match press conference to question why VAR is not available in AFCON qualifying matches.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "AFCON 2027Q: Hervé Renard declines to respond to Queiroz over controversial penalty",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/afcon-2027q-herve-renard-declines-to-respond-to-queiroz-over",
        "published": "2026-09-25T11:49:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}