The president of Kotoku Royals, Linford Asamoah Boadu, has blamed poor officiating for the club's relegation from the Ghana Premier League.
His comments have sparked a debate among football fans, raising questions about the influence of referees on match outcomes and team performance in the league.
Boadu also acknowledged that the club had gained valuable experience from their brief stint in the top-flight league. He remarked that the premier league was a different terrain, and unlike other clubs, Kotoku Royals had no prior experience in operating at that level.
During the season, the club had encountered unfavorable officiating decisions that affected their performance, and they had taken the appropriate action by lodging complaints with the Ghana Football Association. Boadu expressed his belief that the referees involved had faced sanctions, although the information had not been made public.
"I think I have learnt a lot of lessons, I mean it is a different terrain, the premier league is a different terrain," he told Citi Sports
"As a debutant, unlike other clubs, they know how to operate in the Ghana premier league,"
"I have been to several venues and I have been to some interesting places, officiating has not been the best, I know there are some officiating decisions against our club which did not help our season,"
"We did the right thing, by writing to the GFA for the right thing to be done with regards to the poor officiating on the part of match officials,"
"I believe that most of the referees we lodge complaints about have been sanctioned, but is not out there in the public domain,"
Kotoku Royals managed to accumulate 23 points after 30 games in the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League.
