We're suffering - Ghanaian referees cry to Mahama over 5 months unpaid salaries

Ghana's football referees have made a desperate plea to President John Mahama, begging him to step in and help them get money they're owed after going months without proper pay.

The Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) is in financial turmoil, with officials across all leagues still waiting for allowances covering 22 weeks of matches from the recently finished 2024/25 season.

George Saijah, who chairs the referees' body, revealed on Asempa FM that match officials have only been paid for 12 weeks out of 34 total weeks across the Premier League, Division One, and Women's League.

The situation has become so dire that referees are having to fund their own travel and expenses just to do their jobs, with no guarantee of getting the money back. Saijah, during the radio interview, called on President Mahama and his administration to help them out:

We are calling on President Mahama and the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to come to our aid. We can't keep pre-financing games. We are suffering, and we need our money.

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RAG Chief lambasts GFA over other decisions

He didn't hold back in his criticism of the Ghana Football Association, which owes the referees the outstanding payments. He added:

The Referees Association of Ghana has served this nation with dedication, but the GFA has failed to clear its debt.

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But the money problems aren't the only issue. Saijah also accused GFA president Kurt Okraku of sidelining the referees' association in key decisions, including who gets picked to officiate matches. He said:

We had a meeting with the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, and we complained to him about how RAG has suddenly been sidelined. We told him RAG cannot exist while a different body appoints referees to officiate matches, but he didn't give us any positive feedback.

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The crisis threatens to disrupt Ghana's football system if referees continue working without pay or, worse, decide to down tools entirely.

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