There is no doubt that any ardent follower of Ghanaian football would like to quickly forget the year 2014. Some of us would even wish that the year and its activities never existed.
The reason being that we had our worst World Cup appearance and match results since 2006 although we were able to hold Germany, (the eventual cup winners and the current number one position holders by FIFA football classification), to a very pulsating and classical draw game.
Indeed, that match was described as one of the best matches during the entire tournament. That was our only bright spot. Our players succeeded in tarnishing the image of the Black Stars squad during their participation by showing a lot of individual and team indiscipline, resulting in two very good and useful players being sacked before the end of our last match.
Also in our national effort to motivate our team, we succeeded in tarnishing our national reputation by airlifting some three million dollars in cash to Brazil. And back home we appeared to have ended our league season, but we could not begin the next season as planned.
As for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, which can be described as a by-product of our World Cup participation, we leave it to those in the legal and political kingdoms.
Football is played in political and geographic environments, but it frowns on and does not associate itself with politics and that is why the game of football is better followed and enjoyed across all political divides.
But the good sign is that Kwesi Nyantakyi’s GFA marches on as it is determined to soldier on to rebuild and manage the game that gives a lot of joy, entertainment and economic satisfaction to many Ghanaians.
One of such actions is the reshuffle made at GFA. Now, we have a new Black Stars coach, in the person of Avram Grant of Israeli nationality. Added to this, the FA president reshuffled all committees of the GFA, including his almighty Black Stars Management Committee from which he has graciously stepped down as its chairman and promoted the unofficial GFA chief of staff, George Afriyie, to the position.
But this column is concerned with the reshuffle of the referees committee which has the duty of managing the FA’s league referees by way of training, appointments, promotions and placements.
Since early 2000, the shape and composition of the committee have witnessed a lot of changes and reshuffle. That was when the GFA had to accept and implement FIFA’s directive that membership of the referees committee should be made of people with refereeing background.
At the end of its congress in Ho in the Volta Region in 2000, the referees association presented a resolution to the GFA to that effect. Those were the beginning of the pick of the destructive politics within the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG).
I was the General Secretary then and had the duty of signing the covering letter to the resolution that was presented to the FA authorities. Those who did not like me at that point in time invented the propaganda that it was my work and that I did not like the then chairman and members of the referees committee.
I was initially vilified and painted black despite my African dark colour. But the good news is that the change has not only benefitted and suited all referees, but some of my detractors, and their friends have since benefitted from being members of the referees committee.
Indeed, some even lobby very hard to serve on the committee and when there is a reshuffle and they are out of it, they start wearing faces of anger and despondency as if the very people who gave them their positions in the first place have become their enemies. Perhaps, I also behaved same when there was a reshuffle. I quite remember so, although I did not look into my mirror.
It is important to note that the referee committee has a huge task and important duties to perform towards the growth and development of refereeing in the country. It is unfortunate that the committee’s job attracts a lot of criticism and displeasure from referees and referee commentators.
Now it is the turn and opportunity of the affable and soft-spoken Mr M. N. S. Doe, Central Regional FA Chairman, highly qualified CAF-FIFA Instructor, Joseph Wellington, Ghana’s World Cup FIFA Assistant, Justice Yeboah, retired FIFA Assistant, referee J. S. Asare and one-time Volta Regional Chairman of RAG, and a retired referee, Harry Atutornu, to run the affairs of the committee.
These are all well-tested and experienced personnel in their own fields of endeavour. Mr Doe is not new to referees affairs and internal politics. Mr Joseph Wellington should have absolutely no problem in organising and conducting seminars and training courses to help maintain and develop the technical abilities of our referees. He virtually needs no advice, except that he should not allow anybody to drag him into RAG politics.
As for the rest of the members, Justice Yeboah, J. S. Asare from Tema and Atutornu, they should have no problem with their job. Justice Yeboah and Asare actually served on the former committee and they should be an assert. People’s expectations are that they should not allow themselves to be influenced and used by any other interest except that of referees.
One could say that the reshuffling of the referees committee has come at a very opportune time, considering the recent bickering, attacks and counter attacks among some members of the executive committee of the referees association. Now, there will be some welcome silence and peace.
It is unfortunate that some of us grow wings when we start walking on the corridors of the GFA. We should all learn that positions are not possessions; positions should be opportunities to serve and work for the common good of those we are appointed to work for.
Our referees have a lot of complaints and problems — all of which are solvable — but the greatest challenge to Mr Doe and his members is to maintain and improve upon the list of referees they have inherited. We need to continue to, for example, keep and maintain the number of FIFA referees we have.
Our lady referees, especially those on the FIFA list and other potentials, have some peculiar problems to be solved. Above all, we need to ensure that we have FIFA referees who would be among the elite to handle CAF and FIFA tournaments. This should be a special charge for the new referees committee.
