Ghanaian referees must prepare spiritually before games - GFA Referees Manager

Referees Manager of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Alex Kotey, has said Ghanaian referees must add spiritual preparation to their pre-match routines.

Referees in the Ghana Premier League and the lower divisions have often been criticised for their unimpressive outputs.

Allegations of some match officials also manipulating games to help some clubs climb up the league table have also been rife in recent years.

Reacting to this, Kotey said every referee must endeavour to prepare both mentally and spiritually before every game.

He explained that knowing the laws of the game is one thing, but preparing adequately also goes a long way to help referees have excellent performances.

“Every referee must prepare themselves spiritually and mentally,” Kotey told Asempa FM, as quoted by 3Sports.

“I was born on a Thursday. If I am supposed to officiate a game, the Thursday before the game, I fast and when I fast, I get a lot of revelations that tell me what to do if I am going to the game. I will do it.”

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian top-flight league was hit by a scandal earlier in June after Real Tamale United (RTU) played their game against Dreams FC using unregistered players after their registered players boycotted the match.

The outstanding league game between RTU and Dreams FC took place on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at the Theatre of Dreams in Dawu.

The hosts romped to an emphatic 8-1 victory, with forward Agyenim Boateng Mensah scoring five of their goals.

While the result raised suspicion, it later came to light that the RTU players boycotted the game over months of unpaid salaries, with the club fielding unregistered players for the game.

RTU’s captain Baba Kushigu later revealed in an interview with Angel Sports that none of his teammates travelled for the game against Dreams FC, confirming the allegations of impersonation.

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