Great Olympics captain Gladson Awako, wants the Ghana Football Association to, as a matter of urgency, address the problem of questionable officiating in the Ghana Premier League.
The midfielder made the comments in relation to center referee Alfaa Ba-Adey’s decision to award a penalty on the 56th minute for a foul on Ashantigold winger Amos Addai. The penalty was subsequently converted by Stephen Banahene and proved to be the only goal of the game.
Speaking after the defeat, Gladson Awako said the poor handling of matches by referees, was getting out of hand.
”Given how this is developing, I think it is about time the GFA clamps down on poor officiating because it is ruining our game. If this game had been broadcast live on television, people would know the extent of the problem. How can this incident be deemed as a penalty?” he quizzed.
The Great Olympics captain contests that, since the incident happened outside the box, referee Alfaa Ba-Adey should not have given a penalty.
”Was the penalty a legitimate penalty? Was it the right call? Even the player who was deemed to have fouled the attacker fell penalty outside the box. That is where the incident happened. How then do you award a penalty? Is this fair, is this fair?” the Great Olympics midfielder quizzed.
Referee Alfaa Ba-Adey was not the only referee to be criticized for his performance on matchday 25.
Awako’s remark is consistent with a growing call for better officiating. On the same weekend, referee Maxwell Kofi Owusu was also heavily criticized for awarding a penalty to Hearts of Oak in their 2-0 win over Elmina Sharks. Although the subsequent penalty was missed, it probably should have been retaken after replayed showed Sharks’ keeper Bawa had both feet off the goal line at the time the ball was kicked.
The defeat dents Olympics title chase as they dropped from second place to fourth place on the league table with 40points. They are behind Karela United in third place on 41 points, Hearts of Oak in second place on 43points, and first place Asante Kotoko who has 45points.