Central African Republic’s head coach, Raoul Savoy, expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating during Thursday’s match when his team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Ghana in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The final Group E match of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers was overseen by Kenyan official Peter Waweru Kamaku as the center referee.
The game, held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, saw the Central African Republic take an early lead, but Ghana mounted a comeback to secure a 2-1 victory by the end of the 90 minutes.
In his post-match interview, Coach Raoul Savoy didn’t mince words about his frustrations. He asserted that his players had outperformed Ghana and didn’t deserve to lose. According to him, the match should have ended in a 1-1 draw, which would have qualified his team. He also alleged that the second goal was clearly offside and suggested that the referee favored the Black Stars.
“I’m very proud of my players. We played better than Ghana and didn’t deserve to lose. I think we should have finished this game with a 1-1 draw, you qualify but we didn’t lose. I think the second goal was offside clearly, we know the referee is your winner. We knew the referee would help you guys and he did it,” Coach Raoul Savoy alleged.
Coach Raoul Savoy went on to make a stark prediction, stating, “your next AFCON will be like the last one,” hinting at his disappointment with the officiating and suggesting that Ghana would face challenges in the upcoming AFCON.
Following their 2-1 defeat, the Central African Republic failed to qualify for the 2023 AFCON.
