The refereeing during the Senegal – Ivory Coast match continues to spark controversy. Ghislain Pierre Atcho, in charge of the match, wasn’t assisted by the VAR, leading to a real scandal surrounding the game.
The Senegal vs Ivory Coast match was marked by quite puzzling decisions from Gabonese referee Ghislain Pierre Atcho. Already, at the 10th minute of play, Sadio Mané’s tackle on Ibrahim Sangaré deserved more than just a yellow card.
VAR Fiasco Sours Senegal on Equalizer
The VAR didn’t deem it necessary to call the referee to rectify his decision. Later on, a clear penalty on Ismaïla Sarr wasn’t given either. Perhaps in compensation for the blatant error regarding Sadio Mané, the refereeing team didn’t find it necessary to consult the VAR.
The game continued, and in the 83rd minute, Sebastien Haller found himself on the left side of the Ivorian attack, passing to Kouamé. The latter attempted to control the ball but only managed to brush it. However, when he touched the ball, Nicolas Pépé was in an offside position. Offside, he engaged in a duel with Edouard Mendy and was fouled by the latter. Initially, the referee decided to sanction Nicolas Pépé for simulation before being called by the VAR.
However, the images shown to the Gabonese referee only focused on the foul in the penalty area by Edouard Mendy. At the very beginning of the action, Nicolas Pépé’s offside nullified the rest of the action as per the regulations. A major refereeing error on the part of the entire refereeing team, leading some observers to call it a real scandal. At the end of the match, Krépin Diatta openly criticized the referee’s decisions.
Outburst from Senegalese Player, Krépin Diatta
The AS Monaco player expressed his dissatisfaction regarding a penalty not awarded in favor of the Lions of Teranga. During the elimination against Ivory Coast (1-1, 5-4 on penalties) in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations, Monday in Yamoussoukro, Senegalese defender Krépin Diatta strongly criticized the refereeing to CAF members, calling them “corrupt”. In the mixed zone where journalists and players meet after matches, the AS Monaco right winger stated: “You’ve killed us, you’re corrupt. Keep your Africa Cup”.
Krépin Diatta argued that a penalty should have been awarded for a foul by Odilon Kossounou on Ismaïla Sarr (55) and blamed the referee, Gabonese Pierre Ghislain Atcho, for not consulting the video. Ivory Coast equalized thanks to a penalty from Franck Kessié after a foul by goalkeeper Édouard Mendy on Nicolas Pépé (86), a penalty confirmed after VAR review. “Everyone saw it,” he said to the press. “You can’t decide the fate of an entire country like this. It’s incomprehensible.”
Krépin Diatta also expressed his outrage that the referee did not consult the VAR despite a 40-meter run by Ismaïla Sarr into the penalty area. “I’m sorry but this is absurd. I’m really sorry but they’ve killed our competition,” he said. For the seventh consecutive time, the defending champion of the AFCON will not reach the quarter-finals.
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