Head coach of AshantiGold, Ernest Thompson has suggested that Ghanaian clubs boycott the CAF organized club competitions over poor officiating.
The former Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs trainer was reacting to the unimpressive refereeing meted out to Hearts of Oak in the two legged CAF Champions League clash against Morocco giants, Wydad Athletic Club.
Isaac Mensah’s only goal in the 41st minute separated the Phobians against WAC at the Accra Sports Stadium in the first leg of the second playoffs.
The millennium champions could have scored more goals but for bizarre officiating leading to a slim advantage into the second leg at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca a week after the first.
The second leg did not go smoothly for the 2000 CAF Champions League winners as they crushed to a 6-1 thumping defeat coupled with yet another strange officiating to exit the competition on a 6-2 aggregate.
Ernest Thompson believes the time has come for Ghanaian clubs to boycott the continental club competitions in protest of bad officiating.
“I was very surprised but not too surprised, we all had the chance to watch the game on the television.
“I think I posted somewhere that, if it is possible, the Ghana clubs should boycott the CAF club competitions due poor officiating because the officiating that went on [Hearts v WAC] was not the best.
“We all saw what the Gabonese referee did and going back to the second leg, some very dangerous calls and it was loud against the Ghanaian club [Hearts of Oak].
“I don’t think it is fair and so all those things, the Ghana Football Association must talk about it if they can complain to CAF about poor officiating against Ghanaian clubs.” Ernest Thompson told Kessben fm.
Hearts of Oak have dropped to the second tier CAF organized club competition, the CAF Confederation Cup and will face young Algeria club, Jeunesse Sportive de Saoura commonly known as JS Saoura.
The first leg of the yet another North African duel for the 2001 CAF Super Cup winners comes up at the Accra Sports Stadium on the weekend of 26-28 November with the reverse fixture in Algeria between December 5-7.