Ebusua Dwarfs have forfeited their 2020/21 Ghana Premier League match-day 23 home fixture with Legon Cities which was held on Sunday, May 9.
The Royals were leading 1-0 at halftime courtesy a Richmond Antwi goal.
But Centre referee Alfa Ba-Adey and other match officials failed to return to continue after the break.
After about a two-hour wait for the start of the second half, the two teams who were out on the field retreated to their respective dressing rooms as the match got abandoned.
Match Reports by the referees stated that “on their way to the tunnel after the first half of the game, the home team supporters entered the tunnel, physically assaulted and threatened the referees adding that the referees won’t leave the stadium alive after the game.”
The GFA Disciplinary Committee, following a protest filed by the Royals, observed in its findings that “the acts of the supporters of the home team after the first half led to the abrupt end of the match. Ebusua Dwarfs FC were, thus, caught in the web of Article 33(1)(b) of the GFA Premier League Regulations.
“The second part of the regulation is very instructive on the subject matter. It simply punishes the club to which, the official(s) or the player(s) or the supporter(s) who initiates the act responsible for the end of the match belongs to.
“…that the supporters of Ebusua Dwarfs FC, who should not be in the inner perimeter, the tunnel area or the dressing room area at all but were there, were the initiators of the acts which led to the abrupt end of the match.”
DECISIONS:
The Committee, therefore, makes the following decisions:
1. It is the holding of this Committee that the Protest of Legon Cities FC shall succeed.
2. That for Ebusua Dwarfs FC initiating the acts responsible for causing the abrupt end of the match, Ebusua Dwarfs FC shall forfeit the match in accordance with Article 33(1)(b) of the GFA Premier League Regulations.
3. That having been found to have forfeited the match, Ebusua Dwarfs FC shall be considered as having lost the match in accordance with Articles 33(2) and 34(12) of the GFA Premier League Regulations and accordingly, three points and three (3) goals are hereby awarded in favour of Legon Cities FC.
4. That in addition, being the defaulting club, Ebusua Dwarfs FC shall lose three (3) points from the club’s accumulated points from their previous matches pursuant to Article 33(5)(a) of the GFA Premier League Regulations.
5. That in addition, being the defaulting club, Ebusua Dwarfs FC is hereby fined Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5000.00) payable to the GFA, 50% of which shall be paid to Legon Cities FC pursuant to Article 33(5)(b) of the GFA Premier League Regulations.
6. That in addition, being the defaulting club and being the Home Team, Ebusua Dwarfs FC is hereby ordered to pay an amount of One Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢1,000.00) payable to the GFA, which shall be paid to Legon Cities FC as their Transportation Cost as the Away Team pursuant to Article 33(5)(c) of the GFA Premier League Regulations.
7. That the fines mentioned in Decisions 4 and 5 above, shall be paid to the GFA within fourteen (14) days upon receipt of this Ruling, failing which Ebusua Dwarfs FC shall forfeit their subsequent matches after the said deadline.
8. That should any party be dissatisfied with or aggrieved by this Decision, the party has within one (1) day of being notified of this Ruling to appeal to the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association {See Article 35(10) of the GFA Premier League Regulations}.
Full ruling:
