Soccer News of Friday, 4 November 2016

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Messi Tagoe jabs GFA for snubbing female referees

Mercy Tagoe (middle) Mercy Tagoe (middle)

Former Ghanaian female FIFA referee, Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo has launched a scathing attack on the Ghana FA for CAF’s non-selection of Ghanaian female referees in upcoming 10th Women’s Nations Cup in Cameroon.

No Ghanaian female referee was selected by CAF to officiate at the Championship which will kick off in Cameroon on November 19.

And the former FIFA Female Referee and now a coach says the Ghana FA is to blame for the development.

“There is a proper structure in other countries for the development of female referees but that is not the case in Ghana. Elsewhere, there is a conscious effort to get a lot of females on the field but we are doing nothing about that,” Messi Tagoe Quarcoo told Asempa FM.

“Other countries in Europe and Asia give their female referees the opportunity to develop whereas we’ve sidelined all of them in this country with the excuse that FIFA has a stipulated law that, women should handle women’s football and men for men.”

“Give the women chance to also officiate in the local league and even if not in the premier, you can let them officiate in division one matches to let them be on their toes at all times.”

“I think that’s a major challenge we’re facing in this country because if you let them officiate in the division one and even barred them from officiating in the premiership, when there’s an international assignment their performance will be far better than what we’re currently seeing.”

Twenty-five officials were selected in all for the championship; eleven center referees and fourteen assistant referees.

Ghana is in Group B with Nigeria, Kenya and Mali while Group A is made up of host nation Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe.