Monrovia — Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie has strongly frowned at alleged attitudes of referees playing in the lower divisions and grassroots levels after stakeholders narrated their ordeals at the just ended Football Administrator forum.
By: Christopher C Walker [email protected]
In an absorbing speech delivered in front of more than 80 stakeholders, including Mustapha Raji, president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), Minister Quamie said the attitudes of referees in the 3rd, 4th, and Grassroots leagues are touching, stressing that they are not “gods”.
‘’One recommendation that is very key that we need to address in the public is the attitudes of our referees in the grassroots, 3rd and 4th divisions; this touched me very hard and I want to say it publicly.
‘’One of the Sub-Committees chairmen said that referees can go to games thinking they’re bigger than the association. A referee would say a certain player won’t play because the player insulted him in the community. If the player plays, he’ll walk away.
‘’Mr. President [Raji] that is a threat…referees are not gods and referees cannot pre-determine the result of a match before the match is played.
Quamie described the situation as a creeping monster, which if not condemned and dealt with might transfer in the top divisions.
‘’Referees cannot continue to live as if they’re indispensable. These are serious situations creeping in our football and if not handled wisely, they will creep in the 1st, 2nd, and Women’s Upper Leagues,’’ Quamie bemoaned.
The football administrator furthered that referees should go to games with an open mind having full knowledge of the Laws of the Game.
Minister Quamie was one of the facilitators of the three-day Football Administrator workshop which brought together nearly 100 stakeholders.
The minister further narrated a story where a referee gave a bizarre red card to a goalkeeper before the start of the game after the goalkeeper had complained that the field wasn’t marked, which is Law 1 (The Field of Play).
‘’Somebody explained here that a referee awarded a red card before the game even started because the field wasn’t marked and under the law [Law 1], the field dimensions should be very clear and marked. The goalkeeper tried to complain and the referee awarded him a red card,’’ Minister Quamie grieved.
If you can recall, Referee Manager Stanley Konah has spearheaded a series of Referees Workshops in August and September involving both Elite and Intermediate referees aimed at developing and enhancing referees’ performance.
Over 150 referees sat those trainings, some of which were facilitated by CAF Referee Manager Numandiez Desire Doue.
Support Independent Journalism
Your support helps FrontPage Africa continue delivering independent, credible, and impactful journalism. Every contribution strengthens our ability to investigate, inform, and hold power accountable while keeping quality journalism accessible to our readers.
Support our journalism or subscribe to receive the latest FrontPage Africa stories and updates.
