Class one Referee Kakabo Mensah is in the news for an anomalous reason after he physically assaulted a footballer during a lower division league game and eventually leaving the young footballer in a state of unconsciousness, Ghanasportsonline.com can reveal.
The Techiman-based official was in charge of a third-tier league game between Bactero FC and Liberty Youth with the two sides engaged in a fiercely contested affair to secure qualification into the Zone 1B First division but a freakish incident marred the fixture which was hosted at the Penkwase Presby Park.
Franklin Ofori, a substitute midfielder of Bactero FC, who were the home side fouled an opponent and received a a booking from the referee but the decision didn't go down well with the player who is alleged to have hurled offensive words on referee Kakabo.
The 36-year-old referee who couldn't hold his temper pounced on the player, punched him to the ground before stamping him several times leaving the player in a state of coma.
Referee Kakabo told Angel FM "It is true an incident of such nature happened but they're are exaggerating the whole issue".
"I booked him for a tackle and he was insulting me so I sent him off and he spat on me so I held his neck and shoved him off but didn't beat him as they're saying".
But CEO of Bactero who is also a medical doctor at the Sunyani Regional Hospital claimed the referee did attack the player and got him hospitalized for over 6 hours.
"I was there watching the game and saw an incident happen but I was at the end of the pitch so I didn't know what actually was going on but suddenly I saw our player on the ground and the referee was dragging him and stamping on him several times," Dr Anto said.
"Some of the supporters intervened and wanted to beat up the referee but he was rescued by some security officials and so the victim was just lying on the ground when we found out that he couldn't breath well and so we rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted and discharged around 10pm".
Incidents of assaults by soccer fans on match officials are very rampant in the Ghanaian game but this latest twist of the opposite is uncanny and very peculiar.
Few months ago, news of the death of a 21-year-old match referee shook Ghana after it was confirmed that he had been brutally assaulted at a lower division match on March 2 – five days before his demise.
Source: ghanasportsonline.com
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