Charles Taylor urges authorities to delay football resumption

Following the recent Ghana football corruption scandal, former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko playmaker Charles Taylor believes the safety of referees cannot be guaranteed should the suspended domestic league resume.

The knights of the whistle were terribly hit by an Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigative documentary which exposed corrupt and match-fixing activities of top Ghana Football Association officials and referees.

Over 70 referees across the various football divisions were fingered in the piece, prompting an immediate suspension of all official matches and competitions, including the Premier League.

“I wasn’t really surprised by the Anas exposé. Nobody can tell me that they have never taken money before," Taylor told Happy FM.

"All those managing our national teams have accepted bribe before; in fact, all of them.

“Starting the league now is not advisable at all. Right now, everything is in the hands of supporters.

"If we make the mistake of starting the league now, referees will be killed because fans are really angry at them, so any little mistake by a referee will result in some beating.

“Referees should know that people don’t trust them anymore. They must redeem themselves in the eyes of Ghanaians."

The lack of adequate protection of referees has been a long-standing problem of the Ghana Premier League and its lower divisions.

In April, referee Nuhu Liman Yakubu was the victim of hooligans during a topflight game between Elmina Sharks and Medeama, the knight mercilessly beaten to bleed for a supposedly biased officiating.