Referee considering "suicide"

Accra, Oct 11, GNA - Class One Referee Kwao Sampson, is considering committing suicide following the decision of the Professional League Board (PLB) to expunge his name from the list of premier league referees.

Referee Sampson, who described the action as disgraceful said he acted within the confines of the law and did nothing wrong to deserve the hard treatment from the organizers of the premier league.

The shocked referee told the GNA Sports in an interview that "If the disgrace will continue then I better end my life on this earth to avoid more of such embarrassments."

The PLB on Monday expunged the name of the referee from the list of premier league referees for giving series of inconsistent decisions and exhibiting poor stamina in the league game between Tano Bofoakwa and Tema Youth played at Sunyani on September 24.

The PLB noted that the referee's performance nearly marred the game as it drew protests from both sides.

He said, he officiated the game to the best of his ability and applied the rules to perfection and wondered why the PLB could take such a decision on him.

"My mobile phone has been bombarded with series of calls since Monday and its becoming unbearable for me. I don't think I have the heart to contain them, anymore."

"I feel like hanging myself because I have been subjected to public ridicule," Referee Sampson, a senior budget analyst at the Ga West District Assembly noted.

The referee a graduate from the University of Ghana, Legon with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Political Science, who doubles as a part time interpreter said, he was never invited by the PLB to defend himself but only heard about his expulsion on air.

He cited a match between Ghana and DR Congo, where the referee reverted his decision and wondered why he would be subjected to such punishment in a similar circumstance.

Referee Sampson added that, in situations where the assistant referee makes signal ahead of the central referee, the assistant's decision is taken into consideration.

Referee Sampson slammed the PLB for its action, saying, the match commissioner and the PLB observers were not 93tactical enough to understand the rules.=94

Touching on his career, the worried referee, said, he had decided to quit the job but would remain a member of the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) to help advance the course of referees.

According to the referee, he had decided to shelve his desire of pursuing the Federation of International Football Association badge due to the incident. "I will not handle even an Under-12 match or any back yard game, its over for me", he declared.