Hervé Renard, the coach of Côte d'Ivoire, has declined to get involved in the controversy surrounding Carlos Queiroz, the coach of Ghana, criticizing the penalty given to the Elephants after their 2-0 victory at Bouaké.

In their first 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match, the hosts won all three points thanks to goals from Malick Yalcouye and a penalty kick from Franck Yannick Kessie in the second half.

After referee Mustapha Ghorbal declared that Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu had fouled Yalcouye inside the box, Queiroz called the penalty decision "a complete joke."


Renard was happy with the outcome even if he admitted that his team's performance was not perfect, especially considering the state of the ground.

"My players didn't have the best game, especially on a challenging pitch. However, the crucial element is present: Renard remarked, "My boys finished with the victory."

The French coach refused to comment when asked about the controversy that Queiroz brought up.

"I'm not going to respond to the Ghanaian coach regarding the controversy he started," he continued.

Ghana must now regroup before their next qualifying match against The Gambia in Accra on September 29. Côte d'Ivoire currently has three points from their first Group C match.