Ghana has no option than to usher unlimited eulogies to the "maker" due to adequate sports talents that have engulfed the country.It is with no d
Ghana has no option than to usher unlimited eulogies to the “maker” due to adequate sports talents that have engulfed the country.
It is with no doubt that governance has pushed Ghana to other parts of the world due to international relations with other countries but notable and legendary sports personalities like CK Gyamfi, “Golden boy” Abdul Razak, Osei Kofi, the Maestro Abedi Ayew Pele, Anthony Yeboah, Asamoah Gyan, Boxing greats DK Poison, Azumah Nelson and athlete Margaret Simpson deserve a mention and eulogy because of their immense contribution to national development and making the country popular in every corner of the globe with their God gifted talents.
Ghana has never shown tiredness in producing sports talents but it is with extreme disappointment that when it comes to football officiating, the country is lagging as compared to other countries.
Ghana has been given the accolade “football nation” since her affiliation to FIFA and CAF in 1958 and 1960 respectively but outrageously, Ghanaian referees are mostly missing in competitive international tournaments while non-performing football countries like the Gambia, Seychelles, Burundi, Sudan, Kenya consistently have representatives in international tournaments in terms of officiating.
A certain referee Joseph Lamptey was the skipper of Ghanaian referees due to his consistent involvement in crucial international matches and tournaments. It would be recalled that Joseph Lamptey has officiated in a couple of Afcon matches and CAF inter-club matches to the extent of being the center referee of CAF champions league semi-finals 2nd leg fixture between Esperance and Al Ahly in Tunis in 2010. Though that particular match generated controversies due to outrageous decisions by referee Joseph Lamptey his involvement in all these top matches means his experience in football officiating can’t be questioned.
Despite Joseph Lamptey’s experience in officiating, he was renowned for influencing matches through foul means. FIFA disciplinary committee in 2017 banned referee Joseph Lamptey from all football-related activities about his controversial penalty that he awarded South Africa in the 2018 world cup qualifiers match between South Africa and Senegal.
Upon several replays, the ball didn’t touch Kalidou Koulibaly’s hand but rather struck the knee and then dropped to the ground.
And once “fair play” has always been the trademark of FIFA, the Ghanaian official was found guilty of breaching article 69, part 1, unlawfully influencing match results of the FIFA disciplinary code.
In this case, it is prudent to point out that the nemesis facing some Ghanaian officials are poor officiating, bribery to influence fixtures, and greediness.
Regarding Anas Aremeyaw Anas expose dubbed number 12 which is arguably the ugliest corruption football expose to ever hit Ghana. 75 Ghanaian referees were caught on video taking gifts in a form of “money” from the club and national team officials to influence matches, which renowned referee Reginald Lathbridge has since been banned for life by the Ghana football association disciplinary committee.
Despite the “evil” challenges that have lowered the standard of officiating in Ghana over the years, one referee that has and is still making Ghana proud after Anas expose dubbed Number 12 is FIFA referee Daniel Nii Laryea.
He became a member of the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) at age 17 in 2005 and since then has passed through all the necessary ranks to the extent of receiving the cherished FIFA badge in 2013 at age 26 making him eligible to officiate in international fixtures. In 2013/2014, Daniel Laryea became the youngest FIFA referee to officiate in the Ghana premier league.
At the international level, Daniel Nii Laryea took charge of his first CAF inter-club competition match between Cameroonian giants Union Doula and Aslad Moundou of Chad in a CAF confederation cup 2nd leg game where the host won 5-0 on aggregate to qualify to the 2nd round of the competition.
Since then 33-year-old Daniel Laryea has not looked back, he has consistently been called by CAF to officiate in club competitions and national side fixtures both as a center referee and assistant referee.
On 12th November 2020, Daniel Nii Laryea was the center official of the 2021 Afcon qualifiers fixture between Cape Verde and Rwanda at Estadio Nacional de Carbo Verde where it ended in a stalemate.
The respected young FIFA referee is the only Ghanaian official selected among referees and assistants by CAF to officiate in the 2021 Total African Nations Championship(CHAN) in Cameroon on January 16-February 7, 2021. The tournament was initially slated for April 2020 but due to the covid-19 pandemic was rescheduled.
Referee Daniel Nii Laryea at age 33 is arguably the best “thing” to happen to Ghana football about officiating after Anas Expose dubbed Number 12 where Ghanaian football-loving fans lost confidence and trust in local officials but after 2 years of the expose the young official is gradually instilling refereeing trust and confidence in the football-loving fans in Ghana.
Therefore, Referee Daniel Nii Laryea is the savior of Ghanaian referees after Anas’s expose dubbed number 12 and young and upcoming referees have got option to take inspiration from to build on their capacity to reach the apex of officiating.
Source:Ghana/Herosportgh.com/OBED ATUAH ADAMS
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