Football historians are still searching for the last time a Premier league match in Ghana was called off as a result of a clash of jerseys of the teams.

The drama at Berekum last  Wednesday where the top fixture between the local Arsenal and Kumasi Asante Kotoko had to be cancelled because of a clash of jerseys has roundly been condemned by football commentators as a big dent on the image of the premier league and to large extent Ghana football in general.

It should be a big setback for the Premier League Board (P.L.B.), headed by the indefatigable Welbeck Abra-Appiah that their gallant efforts to run the league on truly professional lines should receive such a nasty jolt.

This incident has taken Ghana way back to ancient times when people had no respect for the rules of the game.

The snag is that all clubs have now duly registered their home and away colours that are duly inspected by match officials at pre-match conferences. It is therefore strange that we could have such a situation on our hands.

Referee Okine Walks Away As Team Officials Look On

It would be interesting to find out exactly what happened at the pre-match conference where referee Sella Okine was expected to have approved the players’ kit for the match.

One report says the referee was doubtful whether Kotoko wore the same jerseys the presented at the pre-match conference.

Since Kotoko insist it was the same jersey, perhaps it won’t be too much to seek medical opinion on the referees’ ability to distinguish between colours.

Referee Okine Asserting His Authority

If both Kotoko and the referee insist on their claims I would suggest that in future pre-match conferences should be captured on camera to be used as evidence in case of such unhealthy disputes.

Popular opinion is that, the Berekum incident does no credit to the image of Ghana football and this must never be repeated. Indeed football lovers at Berekum and those who travelled far away to watch the game have been given a raw deal.  It is learnt that no ticket refunds were made. This is most unfair.

Team Officials Invade Referee's Table

There should be a replay which should be the logical conclusion from evidence adduced so far. The referee should be blamed. He appears to have problems with colour identification.

To avoid a similar situation I suggest that away jerseys should be quite distinct from those to be won at home just like you see Manchester United in complete blue or black outfit in certain away games.

Both Kotoko and Berekum Arsenal have dominant red with white strips just like Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal of England but you never hear of any clash of jerseys either at Old Trafford or The Emirates. Why should we allow this to happen in Ghana in the millennium?

Uniform Mix Up (Note the difference in shorts and socks)

Ghana football has outgrown such avoidable lapses in our football organization and such a disgraceful event like what happened at Berekum must be the first and the last in the forward match to be counted among the great football nations in the world.

To my mind, it is a straight forward matter. The referee should take the blame for not taking due diligence in ensuring that both teams were properly kitted before marching them to the field of play thus causing unnecessary confusion and robbing fans of their hard earned money.

To preserve the sanctity of the game where points are earned on the field of play, a replay should be fixed as early as possible to avoid unnecessary tension and stop the wild discussions in the media that are doing more harm than good to the image of Ghana football.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.