The Ghana Police has advised football lovers to desist from questioning and threatening referees for decisions they make on match days.
Accra Regional Operations Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kwasi Ofori urged football fans to go through appropriate channels and processes to get their grievances addressed rather than take matters into their own hands.
On his accord the referee’s perceptive on the field may always be different to that of the spectator. “A referee should not be assaulted for a decision you don’t agree with. In the competition of football, the referee and the spectator all have different perspectives of the field. If you think the referee has taken an unfair decision, do not interfere in it”.
He indicated that if a decision taken by a referee is unfair, there is always the match commissioner observing and “he (match commissioner) will make sure the right thing is done”.
READ MORE: RespectTheReferee: Police assures referees of unending security
ACP Kwasi Ofori furthered that the disciplinary committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) also exists to address such issues. “As football fans, we should not take the law into our own hands and rule out the decisions on referees. That is not how it should be done”.
He assured referees of their (police) constant protection during match days.
Cautioning spectators further, he disclosed that “anyone who assaults a referee will be prosecuted and punished”.
What is #RespectTheReferee Campaign?
The Respect the Referee program is an educational and advocacy campaign to educate the fans and public on the laws of the game.
Its main target is to educate the public on the need to desist from assaulting referees during and after games.
By: Joel Sanco