Refereeing Questions:Tit-bits for newly qualified referees
How many times have we not heard club officials demand that they needed ‘good referees’ to handle their matches? This pre-supposes that there are both bad and good referees, and so is every society or group of people —composed of bad and good people.
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And those groups of people to whom power and authority have been given at the have the will power and the chance to exercise them rightly or wrongly.
In most cases regulations and rules are put in place to guard, control and maintain good conduct and behaviour. But some people, at times, ignore them. In football, and for our local leagues, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has instituted measures as a guide for good conduct, behaviour and professionalism. Apart from the GFA statutes, there are committees like the disciplinary committee and the match review panel whose functions help to examine the conduct and operations of those involved in organising or handling and taking part in matches. But it is my view that for our matches to be played and handled honestly, we need those engaged in the game to discipline themselves. The basic training of referees provides them with the understanding of safe, ethical and effective refereeing. But equally vital is the need for them to implant and develop in themselves the principles of honesty, fairness and firmness.
The laws of the game are there and every referee knows them. But they have to be interpreted and implemented within sound values and character that would result in being fair and firm. The job of a referee imposes not only obligations and positions, it should also impose certain denials and restrictions. For example, in order to have a free conscience and freedom, a referee should avoid the company and friendship of club officials and even players. Avoiding their company includes not asking for nor seeking favours from them. It would even be wise and prudent to politely turn down any favours and gifts when voluntarily and freely offered. My journalism tutor, the late Sam Arthur of Cape Coast, thought us that there is no ‘free lunch’ and journalists who accept ‘free lunch’ would be tampering with their conscience and objectivity when confronted with the decision to publish or not to publish any adverse stories involving an individual or co-operate provider of such lunch. I carried this into my active refereeing days and it worked. In doing this, there were certain occasions when I became unpopular with even some of my colleagues who saw me as a stumbling block, arrogant and a nuisance. I know some other referees who also stood up to the character of refusing offers before, during and after their matches. The sad story is that some of them never got appointed to handle matches of certain clubs. The story is told of a Ghanaian referee who was side-stepped and was not appointed to handle a crucial match during the 2008 AFCON tournament held in Ghana because the appointing authorities were unsure if he would ‘assist’ a particular nation to advance. The result was that although he handled only one match during the entire tournament, he was uncustomary maintained throughout the games, although some referees were sent back home at various stages of the tournament. For some time now, this retired referee has been a member of our GFA referees committee. That is reward in heaven and on earth.
The other day, we heard the founder of King Faisal football club, Alhaji karim Gruzah’s, verdict on himself and our referees when he appeared before the Justice Dzamefe Commission of enquiry. I do not know if he was able to mention any names publicly or in camera. It should be useful if he did that. For what use would his testimony and revelations be if the matter would be left on the altar of allegations as it has always been. I am not saying that he was telling lies but I wish we would take advantage of his public disclosure to get deeper into the allegations. If bribe givers are as guilty as the bribe takers, are we going to see the prosecution of a self-confessing criminal. Some of us have passed through many vocations and professions including refereeing. But, perhaps, the only tag or title we carry is that of referee. It is like a terminal disease and we would carry it until we die with it. We cannot continue to live with the embarrassing aspect of refereeing almost forever. At least the Alhaji did not tell the Commission that the referees stole the money from him. He did give it to them and so did he also offend any law?.
Those of us involved in refereeing and indeed football face this peculiar challenge. It should be useful that those who complain about bad refereeing should not be part of the people whose conduct helps to spoil them. Again, we admire his forthrightness and courage. He spoke to his character but veiled allegations alone are not enough to maintain and grow good referees. What does the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) say and/or do? How about the allegations of bribery made by Black Stars legend Tony Yeboah as published in the September 3 – 4, 2014 edition of this paper. I think those regional branches of the RAG involved should investigate the allegation and clear the air.
Recently, a section of our football public took on FIFA referee William Agbovi for awarding what was considered as a doubtful penalty against Kumasi Asante Kotoko in favour of Accra Hearts of Oak. Hearts and Kotoko matches are perhaps the most difficult match for our referees. Indeed, there were two occasions when the authorities had to import referees from Togo to handle matches between the two teams. I think they had to stop the practice for two main reasons. Firstly, the RAG was against the practice and secondly, the last time the Togolese came to Ghana, the referee’s performance was seen not to be better than that of their Ghanaian colleagues and so the referee had to seek refuge in a restaurant near the Baba Yara Stadium after the match.
In appointing referees for Hearts-Kotoko matches, there is also this problem, or tradition that the referees cannot come from Accra or Kumasi and it is these two cities that harbor most of the best referees we have. Over the last season, including the Sunday, October 2, 2014 match at the Accra Sports Stadium, Referee Agbovi has handled six matches involving Hearts and Kotoko. The question is how many did they win, draw or lose. During the October 2 match, Referee Agbovi was confronted with a half-full or half-empty glass of water and he had to chose one. His choice was not pleasant to Kotoko fans but that is part of football. It was clear that a Kotoko defender pulled the shirt of a Hearts attacker. The referee could not have been wrong. Sometimes being called a good or bad referee depends merely on who is doing the calling.
