According to a statement by Ghana Football Association spokesman, Henry Asante Twum, the majority of referees in the Ghana Premier League lack experience, with 90 percent being inexperienced. The experienced referees were reportedly impacted by the “number 12” investigation.
Additionally, Asante Twum mentioned that there are currently only six FIFA referees in Ghana. To assess their readiness, referees who perform well in the Division One League are occasionally given the opportunity to officiate in the top flight.
“We have a long way to go I have always said that every step of the way the laws change. At any point in time things come up and you also notice that 90% of the referees in our league as we speak are inexperienced. All the experienced referees were wiped away by the number 12,” he said on Guide Radio.
“So today on top of my mind I can mention six FIFA referees I can mention maybe Charles Bulo, I can mention Daniel Laryea, I can mention Paul Atimaka, and maybe Kwesi Brobbey Achempong, and who else our colleague journalist he is even not a FIFA referee but a class one referee Rustum Gameli. So take out about 15 meanwhile we have about 80 referees for the season, 80 center referees in the season and different from the assistants.”
“We have some of them crisscross depending on the game, especially in Division One. Depending on the magnitude of the game sometimes we pick Premier referees to go and officiate in Division One. And the referees who are performing creditably well in Division One are given games to test their readiness for the biggest stage in the course of the season.”