Sports

Refs brutalised in FA Cup game in Kintampo

The MTN FA Cup match played between Kintampo Top Talent FC and Sunyani-based Young Apostles at Kintampo on Sunday turned bloody when the match officials were assaulted by the fans of the home team (Kintampo Top Talent) in the full glare of security men deployed to ensure safety.

About four police officers deployed for the match to ensure security left the poor match officials to their fate as they endured severe beatings from the aggrieved home fans of Kintampo Top Talent.

The centre referee, Richmond Adjei and his assistant Emmanuel Dei were brutalised with slaps and pelted with objects including stones – resulting in severe injuries on their bodies.

They suffered the ordeal from their attackers for being resolute and fair in their decisions on the field of play. The two teams failed to score and when the penalties were invoked, the home side lost 4-5, much to the chagrin of their supporters – resulting in the abuse and attack on the match officials.

Times Sports observations showed that poor security on the match venue aided the hooligans to take the law into their own hands because out of the 10 police officers expected to ensure security at the place, only four showed up, exposing the officials and players to danger at the open space Kintampo Park.

The match officials later had to seek medical attention at health facilities at Kintampo and Sunyani respectively.

The Operational Police Commander of the Kintampo Police Command, Inspector Richard Geli, who confirmed the incident to the Times Sports, said the supporters of the home team had severally complained about the performance of the referee, Richard Adjei.

Sensing danger, he quickly asked his men to rush to the field to protect the match officials after the game “and that if anything untoward happened, it did so on my blind side.”

Attempts by this reporter to get the side of the referee, proved unsuccessful as they declined to comment except to say “we have signed an undertaking not to speak to any media person.”

FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, KINTAMPO

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