Gambia coach, Omar Sise, exploded with rage after a late penalty for Ghana ended his side’s campaign on first attempt at the 2017 Wafu Cup of Nations on Saturday.
The Gambia had held their own against the tournament hosts at the Cape Coast Stadium but were undone by a handball decision in additional time.
Ghana had thrown more bodies forward in the final minutes in bid to avoid the game heading into penalty shootouts. In one of their attacks just beyond the 5 minutes time added on, the referee adjudged Gambian Matarr Ceesay to have handled Thomas Abbey’s shot inside the box.
The Scorpions heavily protested the call but the decision stood. Defender Vincent Antigah, who came into the game in the 5th minute due to an injury to Musah Nuhu, stepped-up and made no mistake from the penalty-spot to hand Ghana a 1-0 win on the day.
Speaking after the match, an enraged coach of The Gambia said:
“I’m so sorry for African football. Time is finished, you give away [a penalty]… This is why we go to the World Cup and we cannot do anything.
“Ghana didn’t win because they have to, they won because the referee gave them.
“Everybody watched the game. Even the Ghanaian citizens that believe in God know that this is not a penalty and the time was up,” coach Omar Sise added.
Ghana, by virtue of the 1-0 victory, have advanced to the group stage of the 2017 Wafu Cup of Nations while The Gambia have been kicked out of the competition.
Senegal and Liberia face off in the second game of the Wafu Cup at 1800 GMT.
