Sports
Good, bad, ugly sides of VAR for GPL
A referee conducting a video review with the aid of VAR to overturn or confirm a decision
Ordinarily, the announcement of an intention to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) into the Ghana Premier League (GPL) should have drawn loud applause from every stakeholder interested in running a truly competitive league planted on the principles of fair play.
At least, it could address some of the concerns expressed by fans over officiating which sometimes causes the abrupt ending of games or the chaotic scenes often recorded at some venues over bad goals scored or conceded.
However, the backlash from fans, a section of the local media and a few administrators on the hint from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, suggests
clearly that VAR is a “persona non grata, at least for now.”
At the GFA meet-the-press event in the Bono region, one of the questions put to him was on officiating and measures to ensure a fair and competitive league.
In answering that, he announced the consideration of introducing VAR in the not too distant future.
That has since generated heated debate over whether VAR in Ghana, even in the next decade or more would be a realistic dream.
Gladly, listening to the various arguments, there is no suggestion that VAR is not good or cannot be possible in Ghana.
Fact is, VAR would not fully resolve all the challenges associated with the game as it is even seen in the more sophisticated and advanced leagues across the world.
The truth is, sometimes its decisions are overboard, especially those regarding offside calls as movements and positions of the contour human body are judged by straight lines.
However, it minimises the wrong calls regarding tight offside as well as some handball situations where referees award or disallow as penalties only for VAR to intervene.
Interestingly, the basis for the outright rejection of VAR in Ghana has been centred on the state of the country’s infrastructure.
Running an 18-club league means there would be nine action spots on every match day but one needs to ask how many of these venues can accommodate VAR.
Apart from the Accra Sports Stadium, jokingly likened to the famous Wembley Stadium in England, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi and by extension the Cape Coast and Tamale stadia, none of the other venues qualify to even host Premier League matches if we were to adhere to those high standards.
It is even not an easy assignment for crews that travel to some of these venues to provide live coverage of games.
The struggles encountered in recent times to get the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to sanction venues to host continental matches should be a constant reminder of how the most reliable infrastructures are fast deteriorating.
May be, something should tell the VAR proponents it not for nothing that in England, for example, VAR is allowed only on Premier League grounds and Championship grounds are exempted.
That is not because the Championship grounds are not fit for that purpose. A number of them, if not all, are better than what we have if we are to consider the state of the facilities in there.
That only buttresses the fact that VAR is a whole agency on its own, requiring state-of-the-arts facilities and quality expertise to function.
What also makes the hint sound like an anecdote in the ears of fans is the fact that Ghana as a country has only one qualified VAR referee without an assistant.
This weakens the call to introduce the technology in our game for now.
To the FA President, VAR would surely be a good addition to the league but in doing so, a number of the concerns raised must first and foremost be tackled, otherwise equipment may be sent to venues like Berekum, Dormaa, Bechem, Tamale and others, but may return to Accra in pieces.
By Andrew Nortey
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
