Theresa Bremansu: Battered referee slams ‘paltry’ fine for Prisons Ladies

Referee Theresa Bremansu has expressed disappointment with the level of fine imposed on Sunyani-based Prisons Ladies FC by the Ghana FA Disciplinary Committee (DC).

The experienced knight of the whistle was subjected to physical assault at the end of a Women’s Special competition first semifinal game which saw Prisons lose 1-0 at home to Ampem Darkoa on April 7.

Per eye witness reports, the referee was attacked by these unknown persons believed to support the defeated home team. These individuals (one who has been identified by the referee as Seargent Baffour Awuah) were allegedly angered by the additional time added on allowed by the referee as the game was drawing to its end.

The Ghana FA Normalization Committee subsequently condemned the incident but it took 18 days for a disciplinary action to be taken.

On Thursday, the Ghana FA’s DC announced that “Prisons Ladies FC are fined an amount of GHC 5,000.00 payable within 14 days from April 24 2019, out of which fine an amount of GHC 2,000.00 shall be paid in compensation to Referee Theresa Bremansu.”

But the referee is not encouraged by the severity of the disciplinary decision.

“Officially, I’ve not heard it and I’m very sad. That means Ghana referee, we are in great danger because this is going to go on.

“A referee will be beaten then will be given a small token – is it compensation or for hospital bills? I don’t know.

“Even sending a report to a doctor to sign is not easy, so I’m sad. I’m very sad because since they said they are going to normalize things, they should be done nicely so that when anything happens to any referee or football person, he or she would be assured that there is a system solidly behind that person,” Theresa Bremansu told Starr Sports on the ruling.

She also revealed taking care of all her medical expenses and cost on police extract forms after the Sunyani Army Park incident.