Côte d’Ivoire coach Hervé Renard has declined to respond to Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz over his criticism of the penalty awarded to the Elephants in their 2-0 victory over the Black Stars in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers opener.

The hosts secured a comfortable win after Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring with a strike from just outside the box before Franck Kessié converted a second-half penalty.

Queiroz was unhappy with the decision to award the penalty following Fatawu Issahaku’s challenge on Yalcouyé, which resulted in Côte d’Ivoire’s second goal.

“That penalty is a joke. I just saw it on television. For those who can’t see it on television, it is a joke,” Queiroz said at his post-match press conference.

However, when Renard was asked about the comments from his Ghana counterpart, the Côte d’Ivoire coach chose not to engage in the debate.

“As for the controversy launched by the Ghanaian coach, I’m not going to respond to him,” he stated.

The result leaves Côte d’Ivoire top of Group C after the opening round of matches, while Ghana will have to regroup ahead of their next fixture.

The Black Stars are scheduled to host The Gambia on 29 September as they seek to respond to their defeat against the Elephants.