Retired Ghanaian referee Joseph Wellington has slammed American referee Ismail Elfath’s decision to award a dubious penalty to Portugal against Ghana in the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The 40-year-old Moroccan-born American was in the eye of the storm after he refused to have a second look at the VAR monitor to judge Mohammed Salisu’s challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal won the game 3-2.

In an interview with GNA Sports, Referee Wellington said the decision made by the American referee was unfortunate and called on authorities to have a look at it again.

He said, “It wasn’t the right decision. Refereeing today has been made easy following the introduction of VAR. So, if you are not very sure of it, just go for a consultation,” he added.

He also commended the Black Stars for their splendid performance against the Portuguese.

“The Black Stars did very well, though they were a bit nervous in the early stages of the game, they came up stronger in the game,” he said.

Ghana would take on South Korea on Monday, November 28, in their search for a qualification slot to the next stage of the competition.