Real Tamale United (RTU) has officially lodged a protest with the Ghana Football Association (FA) over the questionable performance of referee Eric Sefa Antwi during their match against Tano Bofoakwa FC on Friday, September 22, 2023, in the BetPawa Ghana Premier League (GPL).
In a strongly-worded petition submitted on Monday, September 25, 2023, RTU Management highlighted a pivotal moment in the match, an 86th-minute dubious penalty decision made by referee Eric Sefa Antwi, which they argue significantly influenced the outcome of the game in favor of the home team, Tano Bofoakwa, resulting in a 2-1 victory for the hosts.
The incident in question that led to the controversial penalty involved a challenge on RTU’s goalkeeper in the air by a Tano Bofoakwa attacker.
RTU contends that the referee should have exercised extra caution and diligence in protecting the goalkeepers, but instead, he opted to award a penalty, seemingly to appease the home fans who were vociferously calling for a penalty every time the ball entered RTU’s penalty area.
Furthermore, RTU has accused referee Eric Sefa Antwi of making several unfavorable calls against their team throughout the match, which they believe were part of a premeditated strategy to grant the home side an unfair advantage.
In their petition, RTU implored the FA’s Review Committee to urgently review all aspects of the match, including the controversial incidents involving the referee, and take appropriate action to rectify the situation. They stressed the importance of upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring that such incidents do not undermine the GPL’s reputation.
RTU expressed confidence in their fans’ continued support and called for calm and resilience as they face the challenges of the league season.
They expressed hope that they would receive fair officiating in all their upcoming matches to maintain a level playing field.