• Referees Manager, Alex Kotey, has a lot of work to do

Grave concerns have been raised about of­ficiating in the ongo­ing betPawa Ghana Premier League (GPL). But for a negligible few, performance of most of the game’s officials have been barely satisfactory.

This is dangerous, to say the least – as it militates against the advancement of our football.

Frustratingly, recently, a section of fans sympathetic to Asante Kotoko, made a trip down to the deity Antoa in the Ashanti region to place a curse on referees who would attempt to cheat their club – the defending league cham­pions.

The Antoa is believed to be a river God known as Antoa Nyamaa. It is a shrine harboured in a small stream called Asuo Nyamaa. Sources say Antoa Nyamaa is a very powerful deity and the people in the Ashanti region often use it to seek answers to their problems.

Clearly, it may not be the way to go. Fans must not vent their spleen, frustrations and disappointments in this manner. There could be other means to seek justice.

But this is what usually happens when clubs – with passionately ardent following, are subjected to openly-bi­ased officiating and painfully robbed.

Communications Director of the Ghana Football Asso­ciation (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, has conceded that officiating is a key challenge in the league, describing per­formance of referees as not the best and therefore needs great attention.

“There have been a few issues as usual and officiating is at the centre stage. There have even been issues in Divi­sion One, so it’s very critical. We will pay much attention to that,” he told Max FM recent­ly.

So contentious – and some­times horrible were some of the calls to the extent that some supporters opined that the GFA was behind it. But Asante disagreed.

“There are situations where we all know the ref­eree’s performance is not at the level we want it to be, but for someone to think that the FA manipulates referees to cheat a particular team is unfortunate; and there is nothing like that.”

If that is the case, it be­hoves on the Football Associ­ation to take the bull by the horn and ensure that referees do a good job as the league enters into the home stretch.

After this weekend’s cagey-tight engagements, we have just six games to roll down the curtain on the season with the title up for grabs – whilst as many as sev­en clubs including Accra Great Olympics, Karela United, Ta­male United, Nsoatreman and Dreams FC are all in grave danger of visiting the drop because of the tiny points difference from the rear.

The summit is astounding­ly interesting as well, with as many as four clubs (lead­ers Aduana Stars, Medeama SC, Asante Kotoko, Bechem United and Hearts of Oak, all capable of annexing the diadem.

What this means is that, if for nothing at all, the final few games of the campaign would be contested with ruthless intensity and one can only hope a level-playing field is put in place for the battle.

The FA must, therefore, do well to ensure that only the best is reserved for last. The league has come under a landslide of attacks and this is not the best advertisement for our game that is begging for more sponsors to give some comfort to the players.

Around this time of the season, we know many club owners and officials try to manipulate the game by bribing referees who, most often than not, fall prey to their gambits. It is no secret. It must be stopped to salvage what is left of our dwindling football.

GFA’s Referees Manager, Alex Kotey, and his lieuten­ants must up their game and present fans with unblem­ished ‘Knights of the Whistle’ whose performance should leave a beautiful lasting im­pression on the minds of all.

When chosen, these men on the field must endeavour to be impartially fair, firm and even-handed. That is the only way many can have con­fidence in the system.

By John Vigah