Football law analyst explains why Ghana wasn't awarded penalty against England

American football law analyst Christian Unkel has explained that the lack of significant contact in the box during Ghana’s goalless draw against England contributed to the denial of a penalty.

The incident occurred late in the game when Prince Adu charged into the box and Ezri Konsa appeared to bring him down. No spot-kick was awarded, to the relief of England supporters, even though replays showed Konsa caught Adu on the knee without touching the ball.

Reacting to the incident, Unkel noted that such a challenge would likely have been given as a penalty in Serie A or the Premier League.

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However, she explained that at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, referees appear to demand more significant contact before awarding penalties.

She cited examples from matches involving Scotland and Senegal vs. France, where similar incidents were overlooked by referees despite Video Assistant Referee (VAR) recommendations.

"I am not surprised this was not given as a penalty in this game. In domestic competitions like Serie A and the Premier League, this would usually be awarded. But at this World Cup, officials seem to require clearer and more significant contact. We’ve seen a pattern, like in Scotland’s matches and the France-Senegal game, where VAR recommended penalties but referees refused to give them. The threshold is very high; unless it’s 110% clear, VAR won’t send it down," Unkel explained on CBS Sports Golazo.

She added that the center referee did not have the best angle to view the incident, which affected his decision-making.

Unkel admitted that the Adu incident warranted a penalty but emphasized that World Cup regulations and officiating standards played a role in the denial.

"I think this falls into what I would call a missed incident. I would have preferred to see a penalty here, but based on the current World Cup officiating patterns, VAR is not recommending anything unless it’s absolutely clear. The referee didn’t have the best angle, and that contributed to the decision," she concluded.

Watch the video below:

I would rather have seen a penalty here."@ChristinaUnkel believes Ghana should have been awarded a penalty but understands why VAR didn't take a look 👀 pic.twitter.com/kUyXBcHM3N

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 23, 2026