Ethics Committee's silence too loud

If the import of setting up the Ethics Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) was to breath decency and cleanliness into the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and for that matter Ghana football, then this is the opportune time to ask, where are they? The august committee of the GFA, has in the past years been noted for inviting football people, whose conduct brings the reputation of the game into shame.

There are examples of individuals whose public utterances, in the judgement of the Ethics Committee, have impugned the image of the GPL. I will not look elsewhere for examples since in April this year, I was hauled before the committee for remarking that, our referees were either incompetent or taking bribes to determine the outcome of matches given their incredibly poor decisions in matches.

My remarks were in a Silver FM interview in which I expressed disappointment at the performance of Referee Issaka Afful, who would be summoned before the Match Review Panel and subsequently banned four matches for his disgraceful decisions in the match day 10 fixture between Medeama and Kotoko at Tarkwa. Kotoko lost 2-1 in the said match.

The Ethics Committee reprimanded me for making statements, they say, sought to destroy the league’s image. I rendered an unqualified apology, explaining that, the referee’s attitude, which saw him showing one unjustifiable red card and disallowing a clean Kotoko goal besides awarding two dubious penalties to Medeama was difficult to comprehend.

In recent weeks, we have had some of the big actors in the league, making damning bribery allegations against referees and even themselves as club managers. Respected businessman and politician, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, who owns Elmina Sharks, questioned the integrity of referees in the league. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aduana Stars, Albert Commey didn’t think Dr. Nduom had any moral right to questions referees’ integrity. Commey said Elmina Sharks were worst culprits of referees’ shady deals.

The President of Amidaus Professionals, Baba Gedo, recently said in a radio interview that, he paid bribes to referees to win matches in the GPL. These allegations are far more embarrassing than what some of us made which warranted an invitation to the Ethics Committee. Their allegations are dirty, incriminating and harmful to the GPL’s image. I ask, where’s the Ethics Committee?

Why have they been silent? Are they or have they sent out any invitations to the various football people whose corruption claims and counter-claims are tarnishing the image of the game? Why are these football people hurting the very product they are spending resources to develop? The silence of the Ethics Committee is too loud!