Sports
Good, bad, ugly sides of VAR for GPL
A referee conducting a video review with the aid of VAR to overturn or confirm a decision
Ordinarily, the announcement of an intention to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) into the Ghana Premier League (GPL) should have drawn loud applause from every stakeholder interested in running a truly competitive league planted on the principles of fair play.
At least, it could address some of the concerns expressed by fans over officiating which sometimes causes the abrupt ending of games or the chaotic scenes often recorded at some venues over bad goals scored or conceded.
However, the backlash from fans, a section of the local media and a few administrators on the hint from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, suggests
clearly that VAR is a “persona non grata, at least for now.”
At the GFA meet-the-press event in the Bono region, one of the questions put to him was on officiating and measures to ensure a fair and competitive league.
In answering that, he announced the consideration of introducing VAR in the not too distant future.
That has since generated heated debate over whether VAR in Ghana, even in the next decade or more would be a realistic dream.
Gladly, listening to the various arguments, there is no suggestion that VAR is not good or cannot be possible in Ghana.
Fact is, VAR would not fully resolve all the challenges associated with the game as it is even seen in the more sophisticated and advanced leagues across the world.
The truth is, sometimes its decisions are overboard, especially those regarding offside calls as movements and positions of the contour human body are judged by straight lines.
However, it minimises the wrong calls regarding tight offside as well as some handball situations where referees award or disallow as penalties only for VAR to intervene.
Interestingly, the basis for the outright rejection of VAR in Ghana has been centred on the state of the country’s infrastructure.
Running an 18-club league means there would be nine action spots on every match day but one needs to ask how many of these venues can accommodate VAR.
Apart from the Accra Sports Stadium, jokingly likened to the famous Wembley Stadium in England, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi and by extension the Cape Coast and Tamale stadia, none of the other venues qualify to even host Premier League matches if we were to adhere to those high standards.
It is even not an easy assignment for crews that travel to some of these venues to provide live coverage of games.
The struggles encountered in recent times to get the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to sanction venues to host continental matches should be a constant reminder of how the most reliable infrastructures are fast deteriorating.
May be, something should tell the VAR proponents it not for nothing that in England, for example, VAR is allowed only on Premier League grounds and Championship grounds are exempted.
That is not because the Championship grounds are not fit for that purpose. A number of them, if not all, are better than what we have if we are to consider the state of the facilities in there.
That only buttresses the fact that VAR is a whole agency on its own, requiring state-of-the-arts facilities and quality expertise to function.
What also makes the hint sound like an anecdote in the ears of fans is the fact that Ghana as a country has only one qualified VAR referee without an assistant.
This weakens the call to introduce the technology in our game for now.
To the FA President, VAR would surely be a good addition to the league but in doing so, a number of the concerns raised must first and foremost be tackled, otherwise equipment may be sent to venues like Berekum, Dormaa, Bechem, Tamale and others, but may return to Accra in pieces.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Samartex up for Raja challenge
Coach Nurudeen Amadu
CAF Champions League campaigners, Samartex FC, will tomorrow face Moroccan giants, Raja Casablanca, in the second round preliminary stage first leg match at the Accra Sports Stadium at 3pm.
Samartex secured passage to the second round after beating Cameroonian champions, Victoria United, 1-0 in both home and away fixtures.
Raja qualified to this stage after ‘dismantling’ Nigerien side, Association Sportive de la Garde Nationale Nigérienne, (AS GNN) 7-1 on aggregate.
Samartex is reminiscing a chance to battle one of Africa’s greatest sides en route to playing at the group stages of the competition.
Ghanaians are well aware of the daunting task that face the current league champions but remain hopeful Samartex has what it takes to combat Raja.
Coach Amadu says they are unfased by the fire power of the visitors and has a plan to deal with the visitors.
Speaking ahead of the game, coach Amadu stated that, “Raja Casablanca scoring seven goals does not scare us; this is football and anything can happened. We know that it is going to be a very tough game, but we are ready for the task.”
Having drawn blank in their first league game which served as preparation for tomorrow’s game, Coach Amadu would be hoping Baba Hamadu Musa, Emmanuel Mamah, Michael Ephson and Isaac Afful have a good day in front of goal to take their chances.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
Sports
Up your game, Stars
Black Stars players celebrate a goal
Four days after Ghana’s pride as a football nation was punctured badly at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, fans kept hopes alive, believing that the Black Stars would bounce back with a victory over Niger at a neutral venue.
But that was not to be as the team stumbled again, conceding a late goal by the Nigeriens to deny the Black Stars a vital three points to revive their campaign to Morocco 2025 AFCON.
The two heartbreaks contributed to make the week one that football fans would want to erase from their memories.
Without any major achievement in recent years from the Black Stars, Ghanaians have guarded jealously a striking, remarkable and enviable record of making the Baba Yara Stadium venue a fortress for over 20 years.
Statistically, Ghana has been unbeaten in the last 24 years at the venue. That should be enough confidence booster for any faint-hearted fan.
But to see that record torn into pieces by a country not considered as a powerhouse is certainly a bitter pill to swallow.
The fans reacted aggressively following the shock defeat by causing destruction to facilities in the stadium, an action that cannot be justified but it is important to also state how unacceptable it was.
With those points lost, attention switched to a do-or-die battle against Niger at a neutral ground.
Despite the poor show in the first game, a bit of confidence prevailed ahead of the Niger game.
That stemmed from the blame game by officialdom on the quality of the pitch at the Kumasi Stadium. Photos and videos of the Berkane pitch suddenly dominated social media space, giving the hope that fans were about to see the Black Stars all expected.
Indeed, they showed glimpses of that but like it is always said, the end justifies the means.
Despite taking a first half lead from defender Alidu Seidu, the Stars went to sleep while the Nigeriens took over and stunned with the equaliser.
That was a blow too heavy for the fans to take and exposed what looks like a team lacking quality on the field and the bench.
Truth be told, watching the Black Stars is becoming a hell of a task for a lot of fans. Getting good pitches to play on has become a challenge. That is compounded by the poor display from the same players that performs incredibly with their respective teams abroad.
For Otto Addo, he is fast losing the confidence fans had in him and the earlier he ends the trend, the better would it be for him.
Struggling with AFCON qualifiers is not a good signal because it is the same matches all other countries are using to test their strength ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which would demand far more than what is at stake now.
By Andrew Nortey
