President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has disclosed that the association spends GHS 7.5 million each year on officiating.
His remarks follow threats by the Concerned Referees and Match Commissioners of Ghana (CRAMCOG) to withdraw their services over 21 weeks of unpaid wages.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Okraku acknowledged the arrears but assured that efforts are underway to address the issue.
“We owe referees, but we’re working around the clock to fix it. When I’m done and gone, I want to be remembered for honesty. We’ve had challenges due to unpaid monies from StarTimes, and that has affected our flow,” he said.
Okraku rejected accusations that the FA has treated referees unfairly, calling on the public to disregard reports suggesting an imminent boycott.
“Reject the report of pull-out by match officials. The FA has not shown bad faith. If there are challenges, we fix them together.”
He also emphasized the financial commitment the FA makes to support officiating in domestic competitions.
“We spend GHS 7.5 million on match officials alone every year. We have absorbed that for our clubs. Under my leadership, we’ve absorbed clubs,” he added.