Queiroz plays down Colombia split before Ghana tie

Carlos Queiroz has brushed aside questions over his tense exit from Colombia before Ghana’s World Cup last-16 meeting with his former team.

The Portugal coach led Colombia from 2019 to 2020 and now prepares to face several players he once managed, including captain James Rodriguez and Liverpool forward Luis Diaz. He took Colombia to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Copa America, where they lost to Chile on penalties, before leaving after heavy qualifying defeats by Uruguay and Ecuador.

Queiroz denied reports in Colombian media that he fell out with senior players, saying he enjoyed his time in charge and pointed to the difficulties of coaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also said his knowledge of the current squad could help Ghana, with most of Colombia’s likely starters having played under him. Ahead of Friday’s match, he said Ghana must impose its own style, exploit Colombia’s weaknesses and accept that knockout football leaves no room for error.

“Colombia are not a complete team,” he said. “We are not a complete team either.”