Officiating mistakes have frequently made headlines during the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season, ranging from controversial penalty calls to goals wrongly awarded or disallowed.

Speaking on the GFA Podcast, Kotey stressed the association’s commitment to improving refereeing standards.

“We’ve put a lot of structures in place and we are trying to plug some of them [referees] out, but it’s been quite slow because we need to be very tactful in doing that.

“We have placed a lot of referees on ice for errors.

“Where you see a referee who is not in a position to be developed, you kick the person out,” he added.

One of the most debated incidents this season was the disallowed goal for Kotoko against Bibiani Gold Stars at Dun’s Park, a decision taken by referee Julian Nunoo.

Speaking to Citi Sports, he mentioned that Kurt Okraku, president of the GFA, is keen on rolling out VAR in the Ghana Premier League, with hopes to begin its use in the season’s second round.

“Our president [Kurt Okraku] is pushing very hard, and he even wants it to start, you know, in the middle. He thinks that by the second round of the league, we should even start with the VAR,” Kortey said.

“It is a lot of work, but we are committed to doing it. We’ll try and put our hands together and see how best it can be done,” he added.

Kortey also highlighted the importance of training media professionals to ensure accurate and appropriate language when discussing VAR decisions on broadcasts.

“We don’t expect any media person to go on radio while it’s being used and employ language or words that are not in conformity with the VAR guidelines,” he explained.

“So, we need to take the media, the broadcasters, and everyone through some training just to understand the language they need to use when broadcasting or commentating.”

Kortey further mentioned that although the GFA’s action plan targets the 2025/26 season, they plan to conduct trials before full implementation.

However, during an interview on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show last week, Kortey confirmed that VAR would not be implemented at all league venues due to logistical challenges. Instead, it will be available only for games broadcast live on television.

“We agree that we can’t use VAR at all the league venues. It will be used for league matches that are broadcast live on television,” he stated.

Last week, the GFA leadership met with FIFA representatives, including VAR experts Inokuchi Takaaki and Michael Bailey, to discuss the roadmap for implementing VAR. Key attendees included Kortey, VAR instructor Emmanuel Aglago, and the GFA’s Head of Legal Affairs, Marian Mensah.

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This follows the GFA’s announcement earlier this week that they would be meeting with a FIFA delegation in Accra on Thursday and Friday to discuss the introduction of VAR in Ghana’s domestic leagues.

“We agree that we can’t use VAR at all the league venues. It will be used for league matches that are broadcast live on television,” Kotey told Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.

The FIFA delegation includes VAR specialists Inokuchi Takaaki and Michael Bailey, who bring expertise to its operational processes.

The GFA attendees included Alex Kotey, head of referees and Ghana’s VAR team lead; Emmanuel Aglago, a VAR instructor; and Marian Mensah, the head of legal affairs at the GFA.

The GFA’s announcement has sparked a mixed reaction from Ghanaians, with many debating on social media whether VAR is a necessary addition to the local leagues at this time.

He believes this is one of the ways referees in the local league can have good games because they will be guided when they prepare themselves spiritually.

The end of the season was marred by alleged fixed matches led by referees to save some teams from being relegated from the topflight.

Some fans threatened to beat the referees involved in such schemes.

But Mr. Kotey said if referees prepare both mentally and spiritually, they cannot be manipulated.

“Every referee must prepare themselves spiritually and mentally,” Alex Kotey said in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.

“I was born on a Thursday. If I am supposed to officiate a game, the Thursday before the game, I fast and when I fast, I get a lot of revelations that tell me do if I am going to the game I have to do this and that and I will do it. For the laws of the game, we will train you,” he added.

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