Award-winning sports journalist Saddick Adams has strongly criticised referee Joseph Kwofie for his controversial officiating during the crucial Hearts of Lions vs. Berekum Chelsea match on June 16, 2024.
Kwofie’s decision to award two contentious penalties to the Lions, which allowed them to secure a 2-2 draw against Chelsea and avoid relegation on the final day of the 2023–24 Ghana Premier League season, has sparked widespread controversy.
Adams described the second penalty decision as particularly questionable, asserting that in a more stringent jurisdiction, such officiating could lead to a referee serving a lengthy prison sentence, possibly up to seven years.
“In any serious country, the referee would have been in jail for seven years because what he did was a complete scandal,” he said on his YouTube channel, Saddick Adams TV.
In the 55th minute of the match, the referee awarded a penalty to the Lions, which Ebenezer Abban successfully converted, narrowing the score gap.
In stoppage time, the referee controversially awarded another penalty to the visiting team, despite questionable circumstances where it appeared there was no contact with the player.
Abban stepped up again to take the penalty and scored, ensuring the draw and his team’s retention in the league.
A video capturing the incident of the second penalty has gone viral, sparking widespread debate and outcry among football enthusiasts on social media.