The chairman of the Referees Association of Ghana, George Saija, has expressed appreciation following the 31st GFA Ordinary Session of Congress.
Having had public spats with the president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, over debts owed to referees, Mr Saija commended him for the increment of allowances for his members.
At the Congress on Tuesday, August 12, Mr Okraku announced the increment of the allowances of Ghana Premier League (GPL) and Division One League (DOL) referees for the upcoming 2025/26 season.
GPL referees will now receive GHS2,500, while DOL referees take home GHS1,000. Despite his gratitude for the increment, Mr Saija requested more, especially for the DOL referees, as his body was not consulted in the decision.
Stunningly, the allowances, according to the RAG chairman, include transportation and any expenses, supporting his argument that more is to be added for the referees.
The RAG chairman, in an interview on Max FM’s Sports Pack, was quizzed if the GFA would neglect their obligation to settle old debts as far back as 2014 and others which had forced the referees to sometimes prefinance their expenses.
Performance of the officials on the field, Mr Saija believes, will improve due to the increment in allowances by his very “good friend”, Mr Okraku.
