Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz explains his clash with England midfielder Bellingham ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said that England midfielder Jude Bellingham was the spark behind a heated clash during the World Cup draw on Tuesday night.

The Three Lions finished the match in a goalless draw and will need a win against Panama on Saturday to secure a place in the knockout stage as group leaders.

Ghana’s disciplined low block created serious difficulties for the Three Lions, especially in the first half when Thomas Tuchel’s side failed to hit the target with any shots.

As England struggled to find a breakthrough, tensions rose near halftime, culminating in a confrontation between Queiroz and Bellingham.

The dispute began after the Real Madrid player fouled Jerome Opoku just before the half‑time whistle, pushing him in front of the dugout.

Bellingham was restrained by his teammate Morgan Rogers while Ghana’s assistant coach John Paintsil intervened, and the two exchanged insults.

Asked to explain the incident after the game, Queiroz, a former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, said, “First my intention was to tell him to cool down with that tackle that he did.”

“It could be a second yellow card or red card, it was clear because he went his foot against our player. But my first role was to cool down because I was worried that that player was not 100% out.”

“He had a bad reaction with some bad names and that’s why the story started.”