GFA to train more referees for Upper East and West

Bolgatanga, Oct 27, GNA- The performance and growth of football in the Upper East and Upper West Regions is on the down side because they lack the basic equipment and the required number of referees to interpret the rules of the game.

The two Regions have the least number of referees in the country with each having two and four respectively whilst the other regions have between 50 to 120 referees.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has therefore against this background embarked upon a strategy to reverse this trend and to ensure that there is an equal number of referees in all the regions. The Instructor of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF), Mr Albert Pythias Agbovi, said this at Bolgatanga on Thursday at a four-day sensitisation Seminar on 'Refereeing of Matches'.

The Seminar was organised by the GFA and attracted over 1000 students from some selected second-cycle educational institutions drawn from the Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The Participants were taken through the rules and regulations of handling matches and match fitness of referees.

Mr Agbovi said an examination would be conducted by the GFA for the participants in May next year on the regulations of refereeing of matches so that those who would pass would be made Class Three Referees. He expressed concern that the Upper East and the Upper West Regions had no Premier club and attributed this mainly to lack of competent Referees and lack of proper organisation.

Mr Agbovi who is also the Chairman of the Referees Committee of GFA said he was optimistic that when the exercise is implemented, it would promote the growth of football in the two regions and the country as a whole.

Mr Agbovi said the Referees Committee would among its recommendations to the GFA, recommend that special attention is accorded the two Upper Regions to have their compliment of Referees.

The Treasurer of the Upper East branch of the Referees Association, Mr Oueraogo Dawood thanked the resource persons for the exercise, adding thst the knowledge imparted would enhance the growth and development of football in the regions when implemented to the letter.