Is there serious foul play in the FIFA World Cup 2026? Referee in trouble for not giving penalty…

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 24, 2026

Questions are being raised on many decisions of the referee in the initial matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Now a similar controversy has come to light in the match played between England and Ghana. Earlier, there was discussion about the decision related to Lionel Messi, whereas now the issue of Ghana not getting a penalty has become viral on social media. During the match, England’s defender Ezri Konsa tried to stop Ghana’s forward Prince Kwabena Adu inside the penalty box.

Adu fell, but the referee did not consider it a foul and refused to give a penalty. After this, VAR i.e. Video Assistant Referee also did not make any change in this decision. The Ghana team performed brilliantly in this match and held England, considered a strong contender for the tournament, to a 0-0 draw. However, if the penalty decision had gone in favor of Ghana, the outcome of the match could have been different and Ghana could have won 1-0.

Questions raised on Konsa’s decision

The incident occurred in the 79th minute of the match, when Prince Adu was heading towards England goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Then Ezri Konsa came forward and tried to stop them. Konsa appeared to make a dangerous challenge with both feet and had no contact with the ball. Speaking to BBC Sport, former referee Darren Cain said that England were very fortunate with this decision. He believed that the incident should have been looked at again by the referee.

England got a big lesson

According to Can, Konsa did not touch the ball and had direct contact with the player, so it could have been a penalty. He also told that VAR usually changes the decision given on the field only when the mistake is clearly visible. In this case the authorities did not think so. England, who is considered a contender to top Group L, was given a tough challenge by Ghana. For team coach Thomas Tuchel, this match is like a warning that the team will have to improve its performance to win the title. The journey to the FIFA World Cup is still long, but this draw against Ghana has proved to be a big lesson for England.

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