Former General Manager of Asante Kotoko Opoku Nti has called on the organizers of the MTN FA Cup to appoint a foreign referee to officiate the much anticipated final between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
The nation’s two most glamorous clubs will lock horns in the grand final of this year’s FA Cup final which will come off at the Tamale Sports Stadium on October 29th.
The match will be the fifth encounter between the two sworn rivals this season, having met twice in the league as well as in the Ghana @60 celebration game and the President’s Cup respectively.
Games between the two sides have been characterized by controversies, which has led to calls from the football populace to appoint a foreign referee to officiate the match.
However, organizers of the match have discarded any idea of appointing a foreign official for the clash.
“I believe this match will stand out as one of the most difficult games between the two sides in recent time because of what’s at stake. Their positions on the league table indicate that the trophy has eluded them, hence they’ll put their all to carry the day especially knowing fully well that alone will provide the route to competing in Africa,” Nti told Happy FM.
“If I’m to offer any advice to the organizers, I’ll tell them to opt for a foreign referee because of how our referees performances have come under scrutiny recently. If a local referee officiates and commits a genuine blunder, it could lead to a serious problem, but should a foreign referee commit that same mistake, the supporters could forgive him because he has no affiliation with any of the two clubs. ”
“If referees were hired to officiate our most difficult games in years back, why can’t we do same to avoid controversies.”
