Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign has opened with a defeat and a row over refereeing, leaving the Black Stars bottom of Group C before Monday’s home tie with Gambia.
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has openly questioned the refereeing in his side's 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast, calling the second-half penalty that sealed the result "a joke".
The two West African rivals opened their Group C campaign in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Thursday at the Stade de Bouake in Ivory Coast.
How the match was lost
Malick Yalcouye put the hosts ahead shortly before the half-time break. Ghana went into the second half chasing an equaliser, but the game turned when Black Stars winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku was judged to have fouled Yalcouye inside the box.
Franck Kessie stepped up and converted the spot kick to make it 2-0, and Ivory Coast controlled the rest of the contest.
Queiroz: 'It is a joke'
Speaking after the match in comments reported by Adom Online, the Portuguese coach said he had reviewed the incident on television and did not believe a penalty should have been given.
"That penalty, it's a joke," Queiroz said. He added that Ivory Coast, already leading, "needed the referee to come inside the game" in his view, arguing the decision unbalanced a match his team was still fighting to rescue.
Queiroz, 73, was careful to say he was holding back, noting that he needed "to be quiet and polite" about the call. He did not name the referee.
Where this leaves Ghana
The defeat leaves the Black Stars bottom of Group C with no points after one match. Ivory Coast, the group's other heavyweight, start with three points.
There is little time to dwell on it. Ghana return home to face Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 29 September, a fixture that now carries far more weight than it did a week ago. A second defeat would put serious pressure on the campaign at the earliest stage.
Why this campaign matters
For many Ghanaians, including the large diaspora community in the United States who follow the Black Stars from afar, these qualifiers are about restoring something that was lost.
Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. That was the country's first absence from the continental tournament in more than two decades, a run that had made the Black Stars one of the fixtures of African football.
Qualifying for 2027 is therefore not just about points. It is about ending an absence that still stings, and the opening loss in Bouake makes the job harder.
The Confederation of African Football has not publicly commented on the penalty decision.
