Referring Coaches to GFA Disciplinary Committee is to gag them from criticizing referees - J.E Sarpong

Ghanaian Coach, Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong, has said that the Ghana Football Assocaition is trying to prevent Premier League coaches from commenting about bad officiating thus the reason behind referring them to the Disciplinary Committee.

The Ghana Football Association has referred three coaches to the Disciplinary Committee following their comments on officiating after matchday two of the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League.

The three coaches are Maxwell Konadu (Asante Kotoko), Ernest Thompson (Ebusua Dwarfs), and Henrik Lehm (Inter Allies).

According to Coach Sarpong, every coach should have the freedom to express his views on the game since they are the ones managing the teams and can explain better if results don’t go on well for their clubs.

“Coaches are the ones managing the teams and if they are prevented from talking about officiating then it’s not fair. They should be able to express their views on the matter. They are trying to gag the coaches from speaking", he told Happy FM.

He also advised the coaches to choose their words carefully and not to undermine the referees when talking to the media about officiating.

“I appeal to the coaches to be mindful about their choice of words so they don’t burst out”.

Coach Sarpong added that the comments of the coaches should have been referred to the Ethics Committee instead of the Disciplinary Committee.

“The comments of the coach should have been referred to the Ethical committee, not the Disciplinary Committee”.