Seasons greetings fellow knights

Referees work over two different seasons in a year. They have their league seasons, as well as the usual calendar season of January to December. At the end of these seasons, they take stock, analyse their performances and make resolutions. At least, this is what it is supposed to be.

Ayeekoo to our referees!

The passing seasons have been both exciting and challenging for our referees. They travelled all over the country to ensure that they performed their duties as match officials. Travelling during ungodly hours, abandoning family responsibilities and social programmes are the lot of many referees while they pursue their hobby of handling matches. We can only extend the usual Ghanaian AYEEKOO thanks to them.

Fact is our referees deserve our thanks more than the insults that are visited on them from all sorts of people with interest in Ghana football. What is painful is when I hear insults from some commentators who are more corrupt and crooked in their ways than referees. If I could control the tongues of ALL those involved in football, I would not allow them to insult referees. The question is: “Which of them is clean?”. It is ungodly and unjustifiable to invite and engage referees in corrupt practices and turn round to single them out for condemnation.

Insult to referees

There are many occasions when we call referees bad names only for them to be absolved of any wrong doing. We watch incidents during foreign matches on television when we violently disagree with referees’ decisions only to change our minds when a slow replay is shown seconds after. Those who insult referees should insult themselves first.

Football itself appears to me to attract and accommodate a lot of crooked characters, many of who always want to cut corners to achieve their individuals and selfish interest.

I am not trying to justify the ways of the few bad referees within our ranks. There are a lot of football people who are not keen on reporting corrupt and bad referees, because they believe they are in the same business. Even that policy is bad. The good thing is not to get involved in corrupting our football.

Disciplinary measures

The Ghana Football Association, just like any other FA, has put in place disciplinary structures and measures to check bad conducts from our referees. For example, with the establishment of the Match Review Committee, referees performances have generally improved although there is a developing perception that some of our referees have grown immune to the small number of match ban placed on them.

Indeed, having regard to the practical interpretation of the few match bans, sanctioned referees were not missing more than two matches.

That is taking into account the fact that no referee goes out for a match every Match Day. On average a referee gets appointment not more than once in three weeks or three match days. Thus, from the start of last season (2015/2016) the four-match ban was increased to six in cases where the decision of the referee affects the result of the match. There are occasions when some referees still go under the four-match ban.

Yes, one referee actually received an eight-match ban. And there was a special reason for that, and the affected referee himself appreciated and accepted it.

Objectives of review committee

It should be stressed that what comes out from the recommendations of the Match Review Committee are designed to promote and develop Ghana football. Like any other enterprise, our football league is governed by rules and regulations. And they should be observed and obeyed by all stakeholders. Nobody enjoys punishment.

My view is that the few bad match officials should turn new and better pages. After all there are many referees who appear before the GFA Match Review Committee and leave the meeting smiling, having been commended by the Committee. And what is more is that majority of the referees on the league lists, especially the Premier League list, have never been invited to any Committee meeting.

Perhaps it is important to point out that the purpose of inviting match officials to review meetings is to assist in getting facts and information about matches and how they are handled. The Review Committee is part of the GFA’s strategy to grow and develop match officiating. The Committee, therefore, handles with care and maturity any information that comes out during its investigations and interactions. The game of football is an honourable one involving gentle persons, including referees.

Essentially, the Committee has a positive stance and works hard to distance itself from what is negative to match officiating and management. The bottom line is to destroy what can be corrected and saved to the advantage of our football. The only sure way to avoid the sanctions is for our match officials to improve upon their performances by handling matches according to the rules without fear or favour.
Football is the nation’s passion. Not only that. It is big business that serves the economic and sporting needs of almost all Ghanaians. The Ghana Football Association, made up of football clubs and its affiliates, is doing its best to ensure that we continue to have our football. It is sometimes disheartening to feel that our Governments want to distance themselves from the growth and development of our football and other sports activities.

The space that our football occupies in our national development is huge. Any government that wants to pride itself in youth and jobs development should start from sports development. Our football needs funds to grow.

Some few individuals are doing their best. They need official push.

No matter how much insults are poured on our referees, they are helping in no mean ways in football development. We wish them the Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes. Merry X’mass, fellow Knights.