Refs C’ttee to sanction refs for poor performances

The Referees Manager of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Alex Neequaye Kotey, says referees of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) whose performances continuously generate controversies would be sidelined. This action, he emphasised, was intended to keep them on their toes.

The latest culprit of this action is Referee Prince Okoto Ntiamoah, who officiated the Asante Kotoko versus Young Apostles game on Wednesday. According to retired referee Kotey, Ref Ntiamoah’s name has been expunged from officials appointed for the Match Day 11 fixtures of the GPL.

He was speaking in response to fans’ protests after the Young Apostles and Asante Kotoko game at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Wednesday. Players and officials of Young Apostles protested vehemently after conceding a late penalty. That action has since attracted a public backlash, questioning the call of the referee, Prince Okoto Ntiamoah.

Responding to the claims, Mr Kotey said a review session with the match officials confirmed a claim of a penalty to have been awarded against Kotoko after a trip on a Young Apostles player in the Kotoko goal area. “Since it was in the penalty area, it should have been a penalty but the referee and his assistant insisted there was no contact.”

On the Kotoko penalty, Mr Kotey indicated that play should have continued since both players held each other. “The holding was initiated by a Kotoko player before the opponent also held him. So, in this case, the referee should have applied what we call in refereeing ‘football understanding,’ which is to signal for play to continue, rather than whistle for a foul and a penalty for Kotoko in such a case.”

“We made it known to them (referees) that they would be frozen out. Seriously, with the way things are going, if we don’t sit up, things would get out of hand,” he told the station.

The retired FIFA referee also stated that a review panel realised similar infractions in the Kotoko versus Aduana FC match over the weekend where certain decisions for the two sides were ignored. According to him, the competitive nature of the league requires the best performances from the referees and their assistants and he would work with the relevant bodies to ensure that only the best were appointed to officiate.

BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY

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