Carlos Queiroz said that the VAR “was on vacation” and “went for coffee” after two key incidents went against his Ghana team in the second half of their 0-0 draw with England.First, Jordan Pickford was not sent off after a collision with Prince Adu just outside the England penalty area after 66 minutes. Queiroz said in his post-match press conference that it was a “clear shock” and that Pickford “should have been sent off, there is no doubt about that”.Then, with just 12 minutes left, Ezri Konsa made a last-gasp tackle again on Prince Adu, who was through on goal. Konsa clearly brought down Adu, without cleanly taking the ball. Queiroz said it was a “clear penalty and red card” — though as Konsa attempted to win the ball, a red card would have been unlikely. Former England international Wayne Rooney also said on the BBC afterwards he believed this was a “penalty”, and that Konsa took a “huge risk” as he “gets the man, not the ball”.Queiroz tried to make light of the situation afterwards with a series of jokes about the decision-making. “Is VAR still working in the World Cup?” he joked. “Do we still have VAR? I have doubts about that.” He returned to the same theme afterwards, saying: “The VAR referee was on vacation second half, apparently.”“Once again, the VAR went for coffee,” Queiroz continued afterwards. “I like to take my coffees once in a while! It’s a clear penalty and a red card [on Konsa]. Do you have any dobuts about that, or as it only me who was at the game?”At the end of the press conference, Queiroz appeared to apologise for his repeated jokes about the officiating. “I am sorry for my sarcasm,” he said, “but if I say this kind of thing seriously, they punish me. So I am joking.”FIFA has previously told The Athletic that it does not comment on individual refereeing decisions.The ref’s viewAnalysis by former Premier League referee Graham ScottEngland were frustrated by both their opponents and the referee as they laboured to a 0-0 draw with Ghana.Yet the two big decisions of the night went England’s way, as Pickford and Konsa made rash challenges that on another day might have been punished with a red card and a penalty respectively.Pickford rushed from his area…(Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)Missed the ball…(Patrick Smith/FIFA via Getty Images)And made hefty contact with Prince Kwabena Adu, who could have been in on goal.(Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)Honduran referee Said Martinez bizarrely awarded a free kick to England, which was the one decision that made no sense.He could just about have written off the incident as a collision or ‘coming together’ and played on, but he should have penalised Pickford. Had the incident been at the other end, England’s current players on the pitch and former players in TV studios would have been demanding a red card for the Ghanaian keeper.Sending off Pickford would have been harsh, as Marc Guehi was covering and appeared to be in possession of the ball once Prince hit the deck, but I am not convinced the video assistant referee (VAR) would have intervened had Martinez shown red.Konsa was even more fortunate, as his challenge on Prince inside the area a few minutes later was clumsy and could easily have led to a spot kick. Martinez did not see it as an offence, but there was sufficient evidence for a VAR intervention.(Imagn Images via Reuters/David Butler II)Konsa dived in on Prince.(Imagn Images via Reuters/David Butler II)The England defender did not appear to win the ball…(Imagn Images via Reuters/David Butler II TPX Images of the day)In a messy coming together.(Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Overall, Martinez seemed out of kilter with his colleagues at the tournament. Before today, there had been an average of 22 fouls per game, down from 27 in Qatar, as referees have allowed more physical contact.In this game, there were 38 free kicks, which made the match hard to watch. Of course, the players must share responsibility, as there is an onus on teams to adapt to the referee’s tolerance level as the game goes on. But watching as a referee, I wanted him to let more go so the game could breathe.England’s next match is against Panama, which means the referee is likely to be from Africa or Asia, so there is a chance that they will face a similar challenge. So far, the European and American officials have been more tolerant, and their games have been better to watch as a result.Jun 24, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms