Wa, Aug. 30, GNA - The Chairman of the Upper West Regional Referees Association, Seidu Bomison Junior, has advised football club officials to help educate their supporters on the rules and regulations of the sport to stop frequent attacks on referees He also urged the media against interpreting the laws of the game wrongly but to always ask relevant questions on decisions taken by referees to avoid attacks and violent incidents during and after matches.

Referee Bomison was speaking at the opening ceremony of a four-day training course for 30 referees comprising five ladies and 25 men in the Wa Municipality at the week-end. He said the practice whereby supporters always take the law into their hands and attacked referees at will was worrisome and a hindrance to football development in the country.

The referees' discussed the modifications to the laws of the game, especially the interpretations of laws one to four and laws 11, 12, 13 and 14 as well as underwent fitness test among others. The courses are being organised throughout the country to refresh the knowledge of referees and also test their capability and fitness level to enable the National Association of Referees and the Ghana Football Association to be better placed to select referees who were fit to officiate in matches.

Referee Bomison appealed to the Referees Association of Ghana to consider promoting more referees from the Upper West Region to handle the Premier and Division One Leagues respectively.

He called on the organisers to consider organizing many more of such courses for referees in the Region before or after the Muslim fasting (Ramadan) period and urged the Regional Coordinating Council to help to provide video decks to the Regional Association for training of its members during refreshers courses.

Alex Quartey, Vice Chairman of Ghana Football Association's Referees Committee who was one of the resource persons, said football has now assumed a scientific process and so refereeing must also follow the process to promote and ensure efficiency and quality of performance. He said fitness was one of the best ingredients for quality performance in every sporting activity and urged referees to train regularly for their jobs.

The Vice Chairman also advised the participants to be ready to learn and become abreast with the 17 laws governing the game. Mr Musah Bipuoh, Public Relations Officer at the Regional Coordinating Council who represented the Regional Minister, Mr Mahmoud Khalid, said football is a passion of the country and therefore urged referees to exhibit professionalism in the handling of the game. "The behavour of a referee could either make the game interesting or mar its beauty. Let us learn to use clear conscience to officiate and also abide by the laws governing the game to promote sanity among club officials, supporters and referees", he said.

Mr Bosco Bachua, a Physical Education Director with the Ghana Education Service who chaired the function, said "a sport is war without weapons and referees are the judges" and they should therefore be courageous when taking decisions. He urged them to use moral and mental values to control whatever was on the field and appealed to the National Association of Referees to provide qualified referees to handle sporting activities in schools.