....RAG chairman calls for effective education of soccer fans

The chairman of the Referees Association of Ghana, L. O. Laryea, has called for intensive and effective public education of soccer fans on the rules of the game. In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Laryea said most soccer fans are ignorant of the rules of the game hence their intolerance of decisions by referees.

Though the RAG chairman conceded that some of the mistakes made by referees are unacceptable he was quick to add, "being human we are bound to make mistakes. There's nothing like hundred percent officiating".

The knights of the whistle have been condemned in no uncertain terms by soccer enthusiasts for what they consider strange calls aimed at sabotaging the efforts of teams. Most of these intolerant spectators often resort to physical assault to assuage their anger. Unfortunately, most club officials seem to condone these practices in the belief that the referees are out to do their teams in.

Mr. Laryea condemned these untoward acts perpetrated against referees arguing that they are done on a purely emotional and passionate basis. "When their teams win referees are fair, if they lose, then referees are bias", he intimated. He maintained that club officials are only out to win and therefore attempt to make scapegoats of referees in the event of losing.

The RAG boss said most referees are often intimidated by the vociferous crowds at some match venues and thus tend to make ridiculous errors. He therefore called on the Ghana Football Association to ensure maximum security at all the match centers to enable referees to officiate without fear or favour.

"Our referees are no different from those in Europe. They also make mistakes but they are never at the mercy of irate fans because they work amid tight security", Mr. Laryea elaborated.

Mr. Laryea would not attribute the ineptitude of some referees to inherent lapses in the training regime. He insisted that an outstanding official could even flop in an inexplicable manner when on the field of play for some strange reason. "It's like coaching. A coach can teach his players what to do on the field of play but they may end up doing something else", he added.

The RAG chairman explained that like their counterparts in other countries, referees in Ghana are well-employed persons who cannot be easily influenced by material baits. Giving an assessment of the performance of his officials in the first round of the Kinapharma Premier League, Mr. Laryea said he would award them 85 percent of the marks.