Accra Hearts of Oak have officially filed a protest against referee Kenney Padi for what they described as “his unprofessional conduct” during their match day 24 of the ongoing Ghana Premier League tie against rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday.
In a statement, Accra Hearts of Oak indicated that a complaint was lodged with the Ghana Football Association on Monday, April 11, 2022.
The Club tweeted;
Hearts want the GFA’s Review Committee to “take a second look at the CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY awarded against the club” by Referee Padi in their 1-0 loss to Kotoko and immediate sanctions taken against him.
“Management is disheartened by referee Padi’s poor judgement which subsequently caused us to lose the game,” the statement said.
“Hearts is accordingly requesting the Review Committee to take immediate action to serve as a deterrent to all other future match officials who exercise such indiscretion against any club, especially at this critical period that we are all striving hard to bring back the love of the game.
“We however take this opportunity to appeal to our fans not to be distracted by such negativity but remain focused and continue to let their support count as we go through the remainder of the season”.
Asante Kotoko SC and Accra Hearts of Oak renewed their rivalry over the weekend in Kumasi, with the Porcupine Warriors grabbing all the maximum points on the day.
The Porcupine Warriors scored in the first half to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table and to keep their momentum intact, after Hearts defender Mohammed Alhassan was adjudged by referee Padi to have pulled down Kotoko’s Brazilian midfielder Fabio Gama in the penalty box.
Cameroonian forward Franck Mbella Etouga shot the Porcupine Warriors into an early lead from the spot kick and this got a lot of phobia fans making comments about the decision by referee Padi that resulted in a 1-0 loss to Kotoko.
