Referees Association of Ghana (
According to chairman of the association, RTD referee Joe Debrah, the leadership of the country’s football governing body can not take huge allowances and offer a paltry of it to referees who officiate matches in the country.
The Ghana Football Association at its 26th Ordinary Congress, on Tuesday 1st September 2020, approved emoluments for the leadership of the association as recommended by the Frederick Moore committee.
The three-man committee that had Delali Senaye (CEO of Inter Allies) and Sampson Nartey-Yoe (Financial consultant and lecturer) as members proposed that President Kurt Okraku be given a monthly salary of ¢12,000, Vice President ¢7,000 Mark Addo and ¢4,000 each for the rest of the Executive Council (ExCo).
Other emoluments such as per diems of $500 and $400 per day for foreign travels of the President and Vice President respectively were also proposed to the decision-making body of the FA.
For ExCo members, $300 was suggested for their foreign travels.
Additionally, a sitting allowance of ¢1,600 for ExCo was tabled before Congress.
And the chairman of the Referees Association of Ghana says his outfit who decide the outcome of matches also deserve better and thus wants the executive council to act accordingly.
”If the EXCO members are taking GHC4,000 as monthly allowance and GHC1,300 as an allowance for every meeting held then I believe referees who officiate games and are core determinants of the game need to be paid very well.
”If referees will be paid less than GHC1,000 for a game including transportation, feeding, and accommodation for two nights then I believe it is wrong.
”I’m by this sending a caution to the EXCO members that, if as the head for these referees I’ve voted for them to be paid these monies, they will have no excuse to give when we meet them demanding an increase in our allowances before the league commences. We will kowtow to the ‘there’s no money syndrome’ when that time is due. They cannot tell us to sacrifice for the development of the game because we know there’s more money.
”They cannot give the excuse that there’s no money. We know there are ‘freedom fighters’ who will fight for us since they are taking these huge allowances.
”When the GFA invests much in referees, we will give credible results. With that, the GFA can also sanction any referee who goes against the rules in officiating. The GFA must sit up, you cannot punish your ward for stealing whilst you are starving him.” an unhappy Joe Debrah added.
