Deal with match-fixing if you want investors in the local leagues – Sam George advises GFA
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George has advised the Ghana Football Association to deal will match-fixing and bad refereeing if they are to attract investors for the league.
He told the GNA, “I would support calls for investments into the premier league on one condition, that if the FA would do the right things, and the right things means we can’t invest money in a league where the referees are substandard, referees make all kinds of dubious calls”.
“You can’t just throw money into a league where at times people are fixing matches, you can clearly see that something fishy and funny is going on, the league needs to be cleaned up to attract investors,” he added.
The Ghana Premier League has faced several match-fixing allegations and the biggest of them in recent times involved Obuasi Ashanti Gold and Inter Allies. The GFA said it was taking up the matter and was involving the required authorities to investigate the matter but it has since fizzled out without any proper actions taken. The police have claimed the GFA only reported the case but showed no further interest in pursuing especially, providing the needed support to facilitate the investigation.
Poor refereeing decisions during matches have been a common act in the various local leagues. The last match between Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak saw referee Kenny Pady award a dubious penalty that ended up giving all three points to the Porcupine Warriors. He was subsequently suspended by the Match Review panel, previous punishments such as that have not stopped the act from occuring.
