GFA suspends four match officials

The Match Review Panel of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has suspended four match officials for a series of erroneous decisions in the ongoing Ghana Premier League.

The match officials including Mahama Ewuntoma, Eso Doh Morrison, Gabriel Opoku Arhin and Andrew Awurisa have all been handed suspensions by the Match Review Panel.

Referee Doh Morrison was handed an eight-match suspension following a decision where he awarded Aduana Stars a penalty and red-carded Mohammed Alhassan, but the match review panel have described the decision as wrong.

“Per the video watched, the 23rd-minute complaint did not show any clear contact of the two players involved in the tackle. In the 63rd minute, there was a clear contact in the tackle between player of Heart No. 9 and Aduana player No. 24, but the referee rather judged it as a fair tackle instead of a foul,” a statement said about Referee Doh.

The match review panel on Mahama Ewuntoma indicated that the referee admitted to the panel that he erred in awarding a penalty to Ashantigold SC in their week two encounter against Karela United and was handed a six-match ban.

With regard to referee Opoku Arhin, the match review panel found the referee guilty of not giving a red card to Ismail Abdul-Ganiyu for a bad tackle on Bechem United’s Emmanuel Avornyo, therefore handing him a six-match ban.

But referee Opoku in his response admitted that he erred in that decision as he couldn’t see the offence clearly but decided to give a yellow card to Ganiyu in consultation with the fourth referee Andrew Awurisa who has also been given a four match-day ban.

The match review panel commended Referee Maxwell Hanson for his excellent officiating in a match-day three encounter between Bibiani Gold Stars and Asante Kotoko.

Source: GNA