It has been revealed by the Match Commissioner Kwasi Asante that assistant referee one and 4th official Richard Adjei communicated to center referee Maxwell Hanson that his penalty decision for Real Tamale United against B.A United during Week 27 of the Division One League at the Sunyani Coronation Park was wrong but the stubborn referee Hanson refused to change his decision.
Hanson would later change his decision but that was after he was physically assaulted by section of the home fans for awarding a dubious penalty in favor of the away team and now the report of the match commissioner of the game says indeed Hanson was prompted by both the assistant referee One and the 4th referee to change his wrong penalty call but the stubborn Hanson would not.
The game was abandoned after the first half when the score was 0-0 but RTU have been declared winners of the cross-protest against the Apostles of Power Soccer.
MATCH COMMISSIONER’S REPORT :
On the 40th minute of the game, the referee awarded a penalty in favour of the Away Team ( R T U). Immediately the referee pointed at the penalty spot, I overheard the Assistant Referee I and the 4th Referee shout into the communication gadget that, it was not a penalty, but the referee refused to change his decision.
Some fans believed to b supporters of B A United jumped the inner perimeter and invaded the field of play, and attacked the officiating officials. The referee kept running whiles they were chasing him. They finally caught him and assaulted him, beating him severely.
Some of the fans also attacked the assistant referees. Initially, the policemen kept on watching whiles these fans were assaulting the referee. When they saw that, things were getting out of hand, then some of the policemen rushed to rescue the referee but could not contain the angry fans of B A United. The military was called in. They came to rescue the referees.
This brought the game into 29 minutes holdup. When sanity was restored, the referee changed his decision from the penalty to drop ball. When the ball was dropped, whiles play continued, R T U fans also became furious and threw stones, sachet water, and any missiles they could lay their hands on onto the field. The referee stopped the game.
All the Officiating Officials, players, and officials of both teams massed ourselves up at the center of the field to prevent any injury. The security was called to action, it took them 15 minutes to bring the situation under control. The referee continued the game and ended the first half. When the first half came to an end, fans of both teams massed themselves with stones, sticks, and other offensive weapons at the tunnel leading to the dressing room.
The security tried all possible means to drive them away, but could not contain them. We remained on the field of play throughout the half time.
For the second half to resume, the referee told me that, he was not secure, therefore cannot continue the game. additional Military men came to beef up the security, yet, the referee still stood by his decision that, he was not secured to continue the game. We remained on the field of play for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Officials of B A United tried all possible means to convince the referee to continue the game, but all move futile.
Fans of both teams also made it clear that, if the referee did not continue the game, the match officials will not leave the stadium. They were prepared to shed blood for anything that will happen. At 5;42 pm, the referee called the captains of the two teams and told them that, visibility is not clear to continue the game, therefore he is calling off the match and the second half will be played the next day at 10;00 am.
Later the referee told me that, he called off the match under duress, just to calm tempers down and to pave way for the officiating officials to have their way out of the stadium. The joint security then came and surrounded the officiating officials, matched us into the dressing room.
On our way to the dressing room, fans of both teams were throwing stones and sachet water onto the officiating officials and the security personnel, but the security managed to send us into the dressing room. The reason of the away team being the referee has denied them a penalty. and the reason of the home team is that, why should the referee end the match.
We remained in the dressing room for about 45 minutes. Fans of both teams started throwing stones at each other while some were also directing their stones to the dressing room. The Military started giving warning shots to disperse the rowdy crowd. Later the Military brought a Pick – Up Vehicle to whisk us from the stadium to the divisional police station. On our way to the police station, some fans massed themselves at the principal street to attack us, the Military kept on giving warning shots till we got to the Police station.
Later the Military and the police also led the Away Team (RTU) to the police station. An arrangement was made by the GFA security coordinators which enabled the military and the police to escort the Away Team out of the town (Sunyani). At the police station, the officiating officials were asked to write an individual report to the police which we did. Later there was a rumor that, some fans of both teams had laid ambush on the Sunyani – Kumasi road, waiting for the officiating officials to attack us.
We were advised by security experts not to travel that, night. LT Col. Asare Bediako, the GFA Security
Coordinator, made an arrangement with the military which made us pass the night at the residence of the Regional Military Commander by name LT Col, Kwarteng. At his residence, the Commander himself fed us with food and drinks, he also gave us a comfortable bed to lay our heads on. At 4;00 am the next day, LT Col Kwarteng gave us a Pick – Up Vehicle which brought us to Kumasi.
