Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwasi Nyantakyi is confident Ghana could have reached the semi final of the World Cup in 2010 or even do better, if Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was to be in existence at the time.
The ex GFA boss expressed his opinion on the importance of VAR and and its introduction to the 2021 Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Nyantakyi referred to the infamous Suarez hand ball incident when Ghana faced Uruguay in the quarter finals of the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.
Ghana’s forward Dominic Adiyiah headed into the post of Uruguay in the extra time last minute, the ball went past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, but Uruguay striker Luis Suarez deliberately punched the ball out of the post after it had crossed the goal line for a goal.
Portuguese centre referee for the game, Olegário Manuel Faustino Benquerença, who probably didn’t see the ball having crossed the goal line from the distant he stood at, awarded a penalty to Ghana and showed Surez the exit. Ghana’s leading striker in the tournament Asamoah Gyan missed the spot kick by striking against the cross bar. The game finished 1-1 and Ghana lost 4-2 on penalties to The Sky Blues.
According to Kwasi Nyantakyi, if VAR was to be in existence and in use at the tournament, a review of the playback could have awarded Ghana the goal instead of a penalty, and Ghana would have been in the semi finals of the World Cup, a feat which would have been a record for an African country in the history of the soccer mun-dial.
“2010 [World Cup in South Africa] that ball Dominic Adiyiah headed which [Luis] Suarez used his hands to punch it out of the post, it was a goal”, Nyantakyi stated, speaking to Onua TV. “It crossed the [goal] line”, he added.
From where he sat at the Soccer City stadium, Johannesburg, Nyantakyi shared what he saw from his angle, which he believes many people may have seen differently.
“Where I was sitting at the stadium I saw the assistant referee running towards the centre circle which implies that it was a goal. But our (Black Stars) captain on the day, John Mensah, from where they [some of the players] were standing, they didn’t really see it was a goal so he ran to the referee complaining and signaling that it was a hand ball, so it was a penalty. The referee also didn’t see [the goal] so he awarded a penalty”, he narrated.
While commending CAF for introducing VAR at the coming up 2021 AFCON, Nyantakyi referenced that if VAR was to be in use during the 2010 World Cup finals, Ghana would have reached the semi final stage.
“If VAR was to be there like today, like we may have been to the semi finals. So the VAR is a very good thing and it will erode violence and lots of doubts from the game”, he concluded.