Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz accused England star Jude Bellingham of instigating a fiery exchange between the sides during the World Cup stalemate. The former Manchester United boss claimed that the Real Madrid midfielder raised tensions on the sideline with an expletive outburst.
England came away frustrated in Group L, after only being able to claim a point against Ghana. The Three Lions were unable to break down a deep opposition in their second outing of the tournament.
After avoiding a yellow card for a challenge on Jerome Opoku in front of the dugouts, Bellingham saw a fiery exchange with his opponents and rowed with a Ghana coach. Queiroz took umbridge with the situation and unleashed a furious volley of words in Bellingham’s direction as he was held back by his staff.
“He had a bad reaction with some bad names,” Queiroz claimed. “My intention was to tell him to cool down with that tackle.
“He went with his foot against my player. But my first goal was to cool down because I was worried that the player was not in 100% health.
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
“In the middle of the emotional moment, these things are normal. He swears and that created more tension. It’s football, it’s nothing special. One word created a bit of fire but we cooled down. Football is not dancing in a saloon with tuxedos. It’s not a show.”
Bellingham played down the incident following the match. The 22-year-old suggested both parties were just showing their competitive edge.
“It was just when I made a silly tackle, to be honest,” Bellingham said. “I was trying to try to win the ball, and I followed through a little bit and caught the lad. I spoke to him after, and then their bench jumped up trying to get me a yellow card.
View 2 ImagesJude Bellingham endured an angry exchange with the opposition(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
“I think their manager [Queiroz] I just recognised him. He’s obviously the one who used to be at Manchester United, so great respect, and nothing but a competitive edge for both of us.”
England boss Thomas Tuchel defended Bellingham and said the player was defending himself.
“It was an exchange of emotions, and Jude stood up for himself and his team,” said Tuchel. “Emotions are a part of the game but we don’t want to get distracted with stuff that could distract us.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Article continues belowUpgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £4.50SkyGet the deal here
Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.