Kwame Bediako
Côte d’Ivoire coach Hervé Renard has declined to engage with the controversy sparked by Carlos Queiroz’s criticism of the penalty in Ivory Coast’s 2-0 win over Ghana in Bouaké.
After Queiroz branded the spot-kick “a complete joke”, Renard was asked about the comments in his post-match briefing but refused to be drawn. “As for the controversy launched by the Ghanaian coach, I’m not going to respond to him,” he said.
Renard acknowledged his side’s performance was not perfect, citing a difficult pitch, but stressed that the three points were what mattered. 1195 He also dismissed suggestions that Ghana’s absentees explained the outcome, noting Ivory Coast were missing “five or six players as well” and adding, “So we won this game and that’s all.”
The victory puts the reigning African champions top of Group C with three points, while Ghana sit bottom after matchday one. 1195 Ghana will try to regroup when they host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, 29 September (16:00 GMT).
