Antoine Semenyo has called on his Ghana teammates to adopt a more forceful approach with match officials following a disputed penalty incident in their 0-0 draw against England at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Black Stars felt wronged when a late challenge by England defender Ezri Konsa on Prince Kwabena Adu inside the penalty area went unpunished. Neither the on-field referee nor the VAR intervened, leaving Ghana's players and staff fuming.

Head coach Carlos Queiroz was openly critical of the decision, quipping that VAR officials had apparently "gone for coffee" at the crucial moment.

Semenyo's rallying call

With a pivotal Group L fixture against Croatia on the horizon, Semenyo acknowledged that Ghana must change their behaviour around referees if they are to avoid being on the wrong end of similar decisions.

"We talked about it in training that as players we need to gang around the referee and complain, we should say something," Semenyo told reporters.

"As a team we need to be more aggressive with officials, stay down longer, with our coaches pestering the fourth official. That's what we need to do."

The Bristol City winger's comments reflect a broader frustration within the Black Stars camp, where the feeling is that a more assertive collective voice could influence key moments across the remainder of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.