Let us focus on the season’s league matches
This year’s Premier League is living up to its promise to be unique, interesting and extremely competitive. It is difficult to pin-point the good reason for its success so far. The GFA has put in place brand new executive personnel administering the day-to-day activities of this season’s football. We have a new FA General Secretary, a new Premier League Board (PLB) Chairman and a new chairman for the Referees Committee.
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It is encouraging that with these many changes, the season is going extremely well and are drawing spectators to watch the matches. Slowly and quietly, a crop of new players have emerged and have literally become popular household names. Added to these are the number of goals being registered every match day, with the average around 15. So far, so good and we should all concentrate and maintain our focus.
However, in order for us to continue in this line of success, it is important that every department of the league’s management should concentrate on itself and activities. For example, the clubs should concentrate on themselves and leave the Referees Committee and indeed the referees to perform their duties to the best of their knowledge and abilities.
An incident on Match Day Seven when a Match Commissioner had to be changed and denied his previous appointment should be avoided. Why should this commissioner be changed because his blood relation was one of the appointed match officials. This is as negative as it is unnecessary. We have often had appointments with two brothers handling the same match. And these matches had been successful and well handled.
There is also a classic case of a biological father commissioning his son’s international matches at the Baba Yara and Len Clay Sports stadia. Was it possible to change the Match Commissioner because a single individual was allowed to be involved in the appointment of both referees and Match Commissioners. The question is whether we have all of a sudden run short of the needed personnel to be in charge of the Referees Committee and the appointment of match commissioners.
The league is running well and we should not do anything to concentrate too much power of appointment in the bosom of one single individual. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There has never been the case of Match Commissioners being matched with referees. And the way to avoid this is to get two different groups of personnel to do the job. That is how it has always been. And successfully, too. Fact is, the appointment of match commissioners has been hijacked by one man.
It is a fact that anytime appointments of match officials are made and made known, but are later changed, tongues start wagging. That is not all. Since all our match officials are not professionals but also engage in other income-earning chores, they should be informed of their appointments in good time. And once they (and other stakeholders) are informed, the appointing authorities should do well to keep their word.
It is perhaps important for the authorities to be reminded of past confusion and bad blood among the nation’s refereeing population. This did not augur well for the referees and their relationship with the GFA itself. There were a few occasions when the referees executives threatened the football leagues with strikes and withdrawal of their services. The authorities tried to solve the problem their own way.
Some of us, for good reason, decided to cooperate in the larger interest of the refereeing fraternity. But since last year, part of the problems has started resurfacing. Collective decisions concerning referees selection for courses, were changed. And this was not by the GFA. It is difficult to forget how all of sudden, a particular group of young referees were requested to establish their true ages before they were considered for the promotion exercise for two slots on the FIFA list. That crucial exercise was undertaken for a special purpose and reason. And since it satisfied the intended particular purpose, it has been abandoned. One would have thought that it was a new policy that would be pursued.
Again, we cannot forget the recent confusion on establishing the number of referees for this year’s Premier League. But for the fact that the confusion had embedded legal connotations, evil would have prevailed. It would have prevailed, because the other divide of the referee’s rivalry has decided to keep quiet. And this is good for the referees as a whole, since one man does not quarrel. But it will be in the best interest of the nation’s football if the authorities would pause and take a hard look at the single source of the recent problems.
Indeed, it is for the good growth and success of refereeing that these discussions are being made. It would be advisable if all of us would learn to concentrate and focus on our desks and not be allowed or forgotten to spread our selfish wings and interests. It is said that the leopard cannot change its spots. But I think as it grows and advances in age, the spots should at least fade. Let us all keep our focus on what is in front of us. As referees, we have been trained to assist but not insist. This kind of spread eagle business must stop; otherwise it should be stopped by the authorities. There is a fresh and unique league season before us; we can only perform our assigned duties to help it end well.