Information reaching www.republiconline.com indicates that the referee, Godwin Kpodo who officiated the game between Okwahu and Kwaebibirem united has been banned from engaging in all football activities since June, 2021, for awarding unqualified penalty and an offside goal against Swedru All blacks in favor of Achiken FC according to a statement cited on the official website for Ghana Football Association.
The statement by the FA in some months ago reads, “Swedru All Blacks complained that the referee awarded a penalty to the home team after the assistant referee 1 insisted to the referee that the ball hit the opponent’s hand even though it was at the natural position in the 12th – 18th minute. Again, in the 45th minute, the second goal for Achiken was a clear offside but Assistant Referee 1 did not flag and the Referee allowed the goal to stand”.
It further continued, “The review panel after watching the video observed that, the 12th – 18th minute complaint did not reveal a hand ball situation, but the referee awarded a penalty. Also the 46th minute complaint that the goal scored was an offside goal, was not seen as such per the video watched, it was a good goal”. It stated.
The FA in its own decision reprimanded the referee and assistant line one.
It reads, “Referee Godwin Kofi Kpodo erred by awarding a penalty for a handball situation when there was no hand ball foul committed. He is therefore suspended from all football related activities for the rest of the soccer season”.
“Assistant One (Nicholas Adado) is also suspended from all football related activities for the rest of the season for misleading his referee in taking a wrong decision which changed the result of the game”. It stated.
Meanwhile, a sports broadcast journalist Aduanaba Agyenim Boateng in an interview with Dennis Owoahene Acheampong on Republic Fm reported that, upon series of aggressiveness to get justice, some unknown supporters who pulled over the referee, recovered the cell phone of the referee.
In the cause of the agitations, the supporters retrieved a text message chats between the referee and unidentified person earlier on Wednesday, whom have already paid a whooping Gh10,000 to the referee and promised a remaining Gh5,000 that same day.
The management team of the Okwahu United have already taken up the matter and are considering pushing for a review by the FA.
