Ghanaian Referee Slapped With Heavy Suspension After Awarding ‘Dubious’ Penalty in Super Clash

Ghanaian Referee Slapped With Heavy Suspension After Awarding ‘Dubious’ Penalty in Super Clash

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:00 PM
In this article:
Ghana Premier League logo
GHA Premier League
Ghana
  • Referee Kenny Padi has been banned by the Ghana Football Association following the penalty incident which ensued between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak in the Super Clash
  • He was found guilty of awarding a contentious penalty kick to Asante Kotoko in a Ghana Premier League tie against fierce rivals Hearts of Oak
  • The judgement by the Review Panel of the Ghana Football Association means referee Kenny Padi will not officiate any game for the rest of the season

Referee Kenny Padi, the referee who handled the second installment of Ghana's version of the El Classico between Hearts and Kotoko at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, has been suspended for the rest of the season.

The centre referee was slapped with the heavy punishment on the back of a contentious penalty he awarded to Asante Kotoko which resulted in the only goal of the Super Clash on April 10.

The punishment means Kenny Padi will not be eligible to officiate any Ghana Football Association-organized match for the remainder of the season.

Ghanaian, Referee, Slapped, Heavy, Suspension, Awarding, Dubious, Penalty, Super Clash, Kenny Padi
Ghanaian referee Kenny Padi has been slapped with a heavy suspension after awarding a ‘dubious’ penalty in the Super Clash. Photo credit: @Sika_Fotos @442GH
Source: Twitter

GFA's statement on the suspension of referee Kenny Padi

“The Panel concluded that per the video watched, the referee's defense is in contrast.
“Per the video watched the Panel holds the view that the referee erred in awarding the penalty.
“This error changed the outcome of the match. Therefore, the Referee Joseph Kenny Padi is suspended for the rest of the season. This includes all GFA-organized matches,” a statement from the Ghana FA said on Wednesday.

How did Hearts of Oak react after the suspension of referee Kenny Padi?

The defending league champions who felt the brunt of the contentious decision took to Twitter to express their satisfaction on the back of the swift judgment meted out by the Review Panel of the Ghana Football Association.

Etouga's penalty settles Super Clash between Hearts and Kotoko

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Frank Etouga Mbella's first-half penalty settled the scores between Ghana's most glamorous clubs Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak in their matchday 24 Premier League encounter.

The Cameroon striker sent Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Richmond Ayi the wrong way as he calmly slotted home from the spot following a foul on midfielder Fabio Gama in the box.

Both sides came close after creating some decent chances but it was the Reds who held on to take all three points in front of their fans at the Baba Yara Sports stadium.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
Tags
GhanaGhana Football Association (GFA)