Head of Referees at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Alex Kotey, has jumped to the defence of under-fire referee, Maxwell Hanson.
Ghana Premier League referee, Maxwell Hanson, was the talk of the Ghanaian footballing community after a matchday 16 encounter between Dreams FC and Accra Lions FC.
His performance during the match drew massive criticism from disappointed fans in general, resulting in Accra Lions, who eventually lost to Dreams FC, publicly expressing their dissatisfaction with supporting video evidence of his lapses.
However, Alex Kotey came to the defence of the Hanson, asserting that it is not the responsibility of centre referees to spot players in an offside position.
“I’ve watched that video. Dreams vs. Accra Lions. They were complaining about the assistant referee. But because Maxwell was the referee, [so he takes blame]. The referee has a role. The assistant referees also have their functions, and the first function of the assistant referee is to indicate when a player is in an offside position. It is not the role of the referee. The assistant referee is supposed to be in line with the second last opponent, not the referee,” he said.
The first round of the 2024-25 Ghana Premier League season has clearly been marred by on-field referee scandals, undermining the credibility of the game.
