Report bribe giving officials - PLB urges referees

Accra. Nov 7, GNA - The Professional League Board (PLB) has called on referees to report any individual or club officials who attempt to bribe them in order to bend the rules in their favour before and after matches and on the field of play.

Mr Kweku Ampim-Darko, Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana football Association in a statement copied to the GNA Sport said, the PLB will be able to deal with bribe giving officials if they are reported by the referees to the appropriate authorities.

This is in response to a call by Mr Joseph Odartey Wellington, a former FIFA referee for the sanctioning of individuals and club officials who entice referees with bribes to influence results of matches.

He said the PLB therefore welcomes the call since it is coming from the quarters of the referees and the Board has consequently extended an invitation to the Referees Appointments Committee (RAC) to join them in the fight against corrupt practices, inefficiency and incompetence, the statement said.

According to the statement, the efforts of the PLB will come to naught without the cooperation of the RAC, since the acts of corruption touches the nerves of the success of any league system. The PLB recently axed the names of some referees from the list of Premier League referees for their underperformance. The measure is to ensure maximum performance from the referees in the premiership.