Mali match should have been postponed: Ghana coach
: Ghana coach Paa Kwesi Fabin said that their FIFA U-17 World Cup quarterfinal match against Mali, which was played under very bad ground conditions due to incessant rain, should have been postponed and played on another day.
The match which Ghana lost 1-2 was played under incessant rain which rendered the pitch at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium difficult for the players. With puddles of water in areas, several patches of the pitch looked like muddy fields.
The balls stopped at areas, which resulted in breaking flow of the game and it was a tough task for the players to negotiate the conditions.
“The game should have been abandoned and played another time but then the organisers said we have to play and so we played,” Fabin said.
Asked further if he has been in charge of any side playing under such ground conditions in a FIFA event, he said, “No, I have not played any match under conditions like this.”
Fabin also came down heavily on the referee for disallowing a goal to his side in the 40th minute.
Ibrahim Sulley fired in a low right footer into the Mali goal but referee Mehdi Abid Charef blew the whistle ruling that Ghana attacker Kudus Mohammed had already fouled Ibrahiim Kane during an aerial duel.
At that time, Ghana were trailing 0-1.
“It’s a disappointing result and the field also did not help much. The match official also did something. I don’t normally talk about match officials but this one I have to complain because we were denied an equaliser. The goal has already been scored long before the referee blew the whistle.
“I don’t know why. If the goal had stood we would have got a positive result,” Fabin added.
“The rain did not help matters and we did start well and we really were in the game but we didn’t take our chances. We conceded a bad second goal and that really mattered and we lost the match. That second goal killed the match,” he said.
“In football, you lose or win or draw. We lost today and whatever ridicule we have to live with it.”
GUWAHATI