Referee Alex Kotey
Retired Ghanaian referee Alex Kotey has recounted how the refusal by him and some assistant referees to eat food served them hours before a match nearly resulted in their beating.
In an Asempa FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Alex Kotey recounted that he and his colleagues went to Kwaebibirem to officiate a league match.
While preparing for the match, the ex-referee said they were offered fufu and palm nut soup before the match, but they turned it down, citing health and fitness reasons for their decision.
"After our technical meeting at 1 pm, they offered us fufu with palm nut soup. Because of the time [of the match at 3 pm], we told them to preserve the food so that after the match we would eat," Alex Kotey said on Asempa FM.
Within minutes of rejecting the food, the ex-referee stated that he was shocked to learn that the whole township had heard of the issue.
"Within five minutes, the whole town heard that we've turned down their food," he said.
To make matters worse, Kwaebibirem lost the match 1-0 to King Faisal, leaving referee Alex Kotey and his colleagues in a difficult situation as the fans of Kwaebibirem wanted to teach them a lesson.
"After the match, it wasn’t easy for us to leave the field. All this was because we refused to eat their food," Alex Kotey recounted.
The ex-referee was arguing a case on why it is difficult for referees to accept favours from people due to the position they hold.
JNA/EK
