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Alex Kotey gets nod … as GFA Referees Manager
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has appointed retired FIFA Referee Alexander Kotey as the new Referees Manager of the association.
Aside his rich profile, he was said to have endeared himself to the Football Association, making his engagement not much of a difficult undertaking.
Indeed, according to the FA’s website Ghanafa.org, Kotey’s nomination received strong approval of the Executive Council – pending the way for the General Secretary to appoint him as the Referees Manager of the GFA as the experienced retired referee came tops, following a rigorous recruitment process by the association.
The Referees Manager will head the Refereeing Department of the GFA and shall report to the General Secretary.
Among other roles, the Referees Manager will assist the Referees Committee, implement decisions adopted by the Referees Committee, carry out all tasks related to the logistics of refereeing, carry out all administrative duties of the Refereeing Department, and implement programmes to develop referees according to the guidelines approved by the Referees Committee.
The appointment of the Referees Manager by the General Secretary is in accordance with Article 44 (k) of the GFA Statutes 2019, which states as among the functions of the General Secretary that “he (General Secretary) will propose to the Executive Council for approval, the appointment of Deputy General Secretaries. All other appointments may be made by the General Secretary subject to the approval of the Executive Council”.
Alex Kotey, a 2006 SWAG (Sports Writers Association of Ghana) Referee of the Year, has worked as a Referees Instructor, Referee Assessor and also a Match Commissioner.
The retired FIFA referee officiated at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana. He has also handled games at the CAF Under-20 level and the CAF Champions League, where he handled matches up to the semi-final level in 2007.
Mr Kotey is a FIFA – Futuro III Technical Trainee Coach, Referee Assessor and also a CAF Technical Coach and CAF Technical Assessor.
He has previously served on the GFA Disciplinary Committee and the Referees Committee.
The award-winning retired referee sees himself as a team player with excellent interpersonal relations and good communication skills. He is also adaptable with a flexible mindset.
He will be offered a one-year renewable contract based on performance, the statement added.
BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER
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UNODC partners GFA Foundation on Prison advocacy and mentorship programme
The GFA Foundation and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have agreed to work together to advocate for anti-discrimination and the elimination of stigmatization for prisoners and prisons.
This partnership was agreed, in principle, during a meeting at the Home of Football (GFA Head Office) between the Director of the GFA Foundation and the UNODC Team led by Mr. Christoph Capelle, an Associate Expert in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Coordinator of the prison and penal reform project in Ghana.
Welcoming the Team to the Home of Football, the Director of the GFA Foundation, Mr. Malcolm Frazier Appeadu briefed the team about the GFA Foundation – Ghana Prisons Project which has covered 6 prisons across the country already.
He indicated that the Foundation is liaising with the Ghana Prisons Service to commence the second and third pillars of the project, which are the coaches and referees training programs as well as the advocacy and mentorship initiatives.
He said that the GFA Foundation will welcome partners for the execution of the second phase of the project which will include Ankaful Maximum Security Prison, Kumasi Central Prison, Sekondi Central Prison and three other prison facilities.
In his response, Mr. Christoph Capelle commended the GFA for the GFA Foundation – Ghana Prisons Project which seeks to use the power of football to promote the wellbeing, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates of Ghana’s prisons into society.
Mr. Capelle said that UNODC is looking forward to a collaboration with the GFA Foundation on possible programs for both the medium and long term to support football and sports jobs and skills development in Ghana’s prisons.
He extended an invitation to the GFA Foundation to be part of an assessment of overall prison rehabilitation programmes including the use of sports by their international consultant at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.
There will be a football match and donation of footballs, sports items and equipment to the prison facility.
Present at the meeting were Mr. Kwame Koramoah, an officer at the GFA Foundation and Integrity Office, Helena Adobea Ofori, Associate Programme Officer, UNODC and Caleb Elorm Agodzo, Administrative Officer, UNODC.
It will be recalled that in 2020, The UNODC and FIFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to tackle corruption and crime in and through sports and pledged to consider ways in which football can be used as a vehicle to strengthen youth resilience to crime and substance use through the provision of life skills training.
The MOU was renewed last year by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
News
Gomoa West: NPP, NDC supporters clash over commissioning of DRIP equipment
Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Monday morning clashed over the commissioning of machinery for the District Road Infrastructure Project in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.
According to Citi News sources, the conflict began when NDC supporters questioned the decision to display images of Bismark Basie Nkum, the NPP’s Gomoa West parliamentary candidate on the DRIP machinery.
This disagreement quickly escalated, almost leading to a physical altercation between the two groups.
Baisie Nkum, who doubles as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Gomoa West, further claimed that the Member of Parliament for the area, Richard Gyan Mensah, brandished a pistol and issued threats against the NPP’s local leadership.
A viral video circulating on social media captured the DCE accusing MP Richard Gyan Mensah of pulling out a gun and threatening NPP supporters during the heated incident.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
