Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku charges Referees bureau to develop pathway for children in remote areas

President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku of the Ghana Football Association has urged the Referees Department to establish a clear career pathway to aid in the development of children in remote areas who have an interest in refereeing.

He made these remarks during a training workshop for referee managers from the ten Regional Football Associations.

The leadership of the refereeing community should strive to provide Ghanaian citizens interested in refereeing with a transparent developmental route that can empower a child residing in the remote regions of Ghana, who has a passion for refereeing, to achieve their aspirations of becoming Referees without relying on external influences such as pushers, godfathers, or godmothers,” he stated firmly.

“There must be a well-defined pathway for a child keen on refereeing to progress all the way to becoming a FIFA referee.”

President Simeon-Okraku also emphasized the importance of retraining, motivating, and supporting former referees who left the industry following the Anas expose.

“Just before 2019, we lost 78 referees due to the Anas expose! This was a significant setback for Ghana Football! Since then, we have been working to regroup and identify effective strategies to encourage those who have stayed, as well as motivate and attract individuals to the field of refereeing,” President Simeon-Okraku further explained.

The one-day training workshop was led by Referees Manager Alex Kotey, with assistance from Technical Director Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah.

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