Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has urged the Referees Department to establish a transparent career pathway to nurture children in remote areas who aspire to become referees.

Addressing a one-day training workshop for Referees Managers from the ten Regional Football Associations, President Okraku emphasized the importance of providing clear developmental opportunities for young Ghanaians interested in refereeing.

‘’The leadership of the refereeing fraternity should endeavour to give Ghanaian citizens who are interested in refereeing a clear developmental pathway that can enable a child, living in the remote areas of Ghana, who is interested in the noble art of refereeing, the opportunity to realize their dreams to become Referees without needing any external influences such as so-called pushers, godfathers or godmothers’ he emphatically said.

‘’There should be a clear pathway for a child interested in refereeing to go all the way to become a FIFA referee”.

He emphasized the need to eliminate external influences such as "pushers," "godfathers," or "godmothers" and instead focus on creating an inclusive pathway for aspiring referees to achieve their dreams, including reaching the FIFA level.

President Okraku also highlighted the importance of supporting former referees who left the industry following the Anas expose in 2019.

He acknowledged the significant loss of 78 referees due to the expose and emphasized the need to re-train, motivate, and encourage those who remain in the industry while also attracting new talent.

“So, just before 2019, due to the Anas expose, we lost 78 referees!! That was a big blow to Ghana Football!! Since then, we have tried to regroup and find workable ways through which we can encourage the ones that have been retained and also motivate and get people to be interested in the art of refereeing” President Simeon-Okraku added.

The one-day training workshop, led by Referees Manager Alex Kotey with support from Technical Director Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah, underscores the GFA's commitment to improving refereeing standards and fostering a supportive environment for aspiring and existing referees alike.

Through clear career pathways and ongoing training initiatives, the GFA aims to promote integrity, professionalism, and excellence in refereeing across Ghana.