Coach Otto Addo apologized for his rare outburst directed at referee Ismail Elfath following Ghana’s opening 3-2 defeat by Portugal at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
He was enraged by the USA referee’s decision to award Portugal a dubious penalty and the refusal to consult the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Defender Mohammed Salisu, who believed he had not fouled Cristiano Ronaldo, led the Black Stars in calling for Elfath to review the decision. However, the referee refused and allowed Ronaldo to convert the penalty.
In the aftermath of the match, the Black Stars trainer described the penalty as “a special gift from the referee,” while disclosing that he attempted to obtain an explanation but was not granted one.
‘Special gift from the referee’ – Otto Addo laments Ronaldo’s milestone goal against Ghana
Addressing the media on Sunday in a conference ahead of Ghana’s second Group H game against South Korea, Otti Addo said: “Up to this point, we haven’t gotten any answer [from Fifa].”
However, the ex-international admitted he may have overstepped with his comments last Thursday.
“Maybe I can use this stage now to apologise if I was a bit too rude.
“But I was very emotional after the match.”
“Erm, hopefully, I won’t get a fine,” Addo added.
The Black Stars face the South Koreans at Education City Stadium on Monday, November 28. Kickoff is at 13:00 GMT.
