Controversial Moment Aids England: Slovak Referee Says 'Everyone Sane Saw a Penalty'

It was England's second group stage match in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the USA, and Mexico. The 'Three Lions' faced a resilient Ghanaian side that gave the favorites no quarter, with both teams ultimately settling for a goalless draw.

However, the match could have unfolded very differently, potentially putting England in a precarious position for qualification. In the 79th minute, Prince Kwabena Adu was bearing down on Jordan Pickford's goal, but defending Ezri Konsa got in front of him, bringing him down without touching the ball and preventing a shot.

Honduran referee Said Martinez, however, ruled in England's favor and did not point to the spot. A visibly frustrated Ghanaian coach, Carlos Queiroz, dryly remarked after the game that the VAR system must have been 'out for coffee' at that moment.

Experienced Slovak football referee Peter Kráľovič also weighed in on the controversial incident. "Honestly, my immediate reaction was that it should have been a penalty kick. From what we see in the footage, the defender clearly didn't touch the ball, he tripped his opponent in a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and from my perspective, a yellow card should have followed," explained the 43-year-old football official.

"I can't explain it. Perhaps it's due to the concerns I had when I first spoke about whether the VAR system would be helpful," he recalled his words from five years ago when the video assistant referee was being introduced into the top Slovak football league, "about the communication between the referee and the VAR official, simply how they arrived at the decision that it wasn't a penalty kick..."

"If we showed this to a hundred people, about 99 of them, assuming they're rational, would say it was a penalty," Kráľovič wondered. "Of course, in defense of the referee, I must say, even though there's a high risk of a penalty," he pointed again to Konsa's challenge on Adu, "that the referee has to judge this tackle, but we don't know exactly where he was standing at the time."

"From the referee's positional view, it's one perspective, and I'd love to see the footage from his camera (on his head, editor's note) to understand his viewpoint, what he saw and what he didn't. That's in his defense. However, of course, there's the VAR system, which offers a better view. It's a major championship, there are pressures and stresses, but even so, I don't understand why there wasn't an intervention and a penalty kick," Peter Kráľovič added to his take on the situation during the 'Kam si to kopol?' show on ŠPORT.sk.