On reading my last article titled ‘Frustrations Among Referees’, a female FIFA referee sent me the following abridged text message: “Fantastic piece. More grease to your elbows. Myself and an assistant female referee have been invited to an international tournament for women, but there are no matches for us for preparations. Very sad”.
Indeed, this should be sad. While our top female referees receive appointments to officiate at FIFA and CAF matches, they are debarred from handling top league matches in their own country. Again ‘very sad’. I hope those involved would not engage themselves in just trying to figure out the name of the poor lady who sent the message to me. For, this is one of our problems as a people. Instead of listening to suggestions and contributions made by others, those in authority rather look for who made the suggestion. It is in our national politics and other groups and societies. We always try hard to identify and victimise those who do not agree with our own ways of solving problems and generally doing things. As a result, many good people in our society who ‘do not want trouble’ just keep mute and keep themselves to themselves. That was how the ‘culture of silence’ ruled in the 1980s.
The problem facing women referees can actually be traced to the problem facing women football in the country and indeed facing football in general in the country. While development in world women football is increasing and improving every year, ours appear to be declining and sinking into oblivious. There are not enough matches for our women referees to handle simply because there are not enough women teams and competitions. We must do something positive about this declining situation. When women football started in the civilised Western countries, many other countries frowned upon it, just like when women were given the right to vote and take active part in national politics. For some religious beliefs and practices, some categories of women are not allowed to undertake what men do and participate in. Gradually things are changing for the better and for the progress of women.
The game of football is not only a passion. It is part and parcel of world business and development. Football is a huge world business. Without any statistics and research, it is clear that its existence and practice has created huge incomes and entertainment to both individuals and world communities. FIFA World Cup tournaments do not only provide the whole world a whole 30-day of enjoyment, entertainment and passion; they contribute financial and economic progress to individual players, companies and nations. Even with Ghana’s limited and rather poor showing at the just-ended world cup tournament, a lot of benefits were derived and enjoyed.
Locally, even with our rather declining football, a lot of people both directly and indirectly derive fantastic economic profits. Football weekends and events provide a section of those who are involved in and associated with transportation and the hospitality industries like hoteliers and caterers increased revenue and profits. Indeed to some of us directly and even remotely involved in football as referees, match commissioners and other match officials, the whole country becomes dull, boring and near-void when our league season comes to an end and there are no football activities.
A whole book cannot even contain the gains we all derive from the game of football. It should therefore be of national importance if as a nation we find ways and means of taking a positive look at its development and growth. Perhaps, we may need another Senchi Stakeholders conference or something of the sort, to positively chart a path of development and growth. From that meeting we could segment the various areas, including the development of women football. For I believe that if we put our minds and efforts to it, we can develop the various segments of our national sporting activities.
We should not forget that the development and growth of our nation, Ghana, depends fundamentally on our individual and small grouping developments. The Referees Association of Ghana has over the years trained and developed referees, both men and women, but they have very little to do. The little football that is there to referee is dominated and controlled by men. There are a lot of well- trained women referees but with virtually no women football to handle. They cannot be asked to create their own teams. The Ghanaian community should be able to do it as a group. The Ministry of Youth and Sports can take a leading role in this with an injunction on the Ghana Football Association to initiate plans and policies for a better development of women football. I know there is a sort of Women Football League Board. But we must really develop and establish the women teams before we get people to run and manage them. And in establishing and developing the teams, we need resources, top of which will be money or financial resources. I am sure the financial resources too are there. But we must use our minds, both as individuals and as a government to attract and get them. There are various moneys and funds in the pockets of individuals, companies and other corporate bodies. No money is idle, but we must bait and solicit money with programmes, plans and policies. That is when we are able to recognise the fact that football can be a huge and profitable business. During the Nkrumah regime and in the eighties and nineties, many organisations were directed and encouraged to employ footballers in their enterprises. Although they were given the same status like other employees, but according to their qualifications, they did very little real company work but played football during league seasons.
Financial institutions like the State Insurance Company, the State banks including the Bank of Ghana were involved. Indeed, the banks had their own league season and Black Stars players like Awuley Quaye, Offei Ansah and many others became well-employed. They stayed in the country and played for the Black Stars and for their various clubs. This policy and programme helped in a big measure to stem the exodus of players from the country.
As a nation, we can refine and rebrand this programme to promote Women Football. There are a lot of young girls who are playing football in their various educational institutions. Indeed, in the 1960s, there were a few second cycle institutions that were known to admit a lot of students because of their football and athletic abilities and background. There are institutions in the United States which invite and admit Ghanaian athletes and other sportsmen.
We have to identify football and other sporting activities as a big business; a big business that occupies otherwise idle time and minds; a business that creates entertainment, unity, good health, internal tourism and national cohesion, cannot be allowed to operate without deliberate plans. There are a lot of young people including women who want to play football. Facilities for the game like playing fields are in every part of the country. All that we need to do is to rally them round, encourage them and create various leagues for them. It is only when we have viable and decent women football leagues that our women referees can be restricted to handling only women teams and matches.
Before then, as it was in the past, we should not use a mere five seconds difference in the physical fitness test to debar them from handling male matches. The problem we have for our referees is the lack of enough matches for our referees especially the women referees. Personally, one of the reasons that made me to take to refereeing was because I did not want to have idle and unoccupied weekends. A lot of students who were good and interested in playing football and other sporting games are left in the lurch after school. We must create the space, avenues and opportunities for them; that way, they would not only be utilising their talents and helping the nation in its development. For far too long, we have relegated sports and our football to the background. That does not augur well for our growth and development.
