Referees demand outstanding money before new season starts

As the Ghana Football Association (GFA) prepares for a new footballer season, it will have to clear an outstanding officiating fees of GH¢900,000 that had piled up for more than three years to avert a rift with the Referees Association of Ghana (RAF).

The chairman of RAG, Mr Joe Debrah, told the Daily Graphic that the current GFA administration headed by Mr Kurt Okraku had cleared only GH¢300,000 out of an on old debt of GH¢ 1.2 million incurred during the administration of former GFA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, and the caretaker GFA Normalisation Committee.

The referees chief says the FA must make good on their financial obligations before the upcoming season commences because referees cannot be financiers of the league.

However, the GFA General Secretary, Mr Prosper Harrison Addo, explained that the FA had cleared much of the accumulated officiating allowances of both the Premier and Division One clubs,  together with the  Female clubs and Match Commissioners, and would ensure it kept to timelines to clear the remaining debt.

“The FA wants to clear all outstanding officiating bills with the RFA before the league resumes in October, so apart from clearing GH¢300,000 outstanding bills, we have started paying some of the officiating officials through their MOMO (mobile money) accounts so there is no cause for alarm.

We are in very good relations with the RAG, so before we begin the new football season we will not only clear much of the outstanding bills we inherited but will also organise refresher courses for the referees to enhance good officiating  when the league resumes” Mr Addo assured  

Earlier, Mr Debrah explained that the Nyantakyi administration failed to honour some outstanding allowances due the association, with the GFA Normalisation Committee also pilling up the debt,  most of which remained outstanding.

“When Mr Kurt Okraku was elected, he also organised matches which were truncated along the line due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were some allowances that he did not  pay to referees.

It implies that both Mr Nyantakyi and Dr Amoah left outstanding debts which have been added to that of Mr Okraku, and as another season is about to start, we are eagerly waiting for the FA to clear the bills.”

He expressed the association’s concern about the accumulated outstanding referees allowances.

“The outstanding allowances should not have affected referees much because referees are in permanent employment and do not solely depend on such allowances.

However, it is inappropriate for a referee to look for money to travel and officiate matches before she or he is reimbursed.

 “Referees cannot be financiers of the league by travelling from one league center to another to officiate matches.If a husband fails to provide the basic needs such as food to the wife and children, the husband is indirectly teaching them to engage in promiscuity and stealing respectively.

It is, therefore, important that the FA pays the outstanding allowances of the referees for them to get something to cater for their personal needs,” Mr Debrah bemoaned.