FIFA Assistant Referee Patrick Papala has received a one-year suspension after his controversial decision to disallow a legitimate goal during the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League match between Hearts of Oak and Real Tamale United (RTU) at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The incident took place in the closing moments of the game, which ended with a 2-1 victory for RTU. Papala, serving as the assistant referee, controversially ruled out a goal scored by Hearts of Oak’s Yaw Amankwah Baafi, citing an offside infringement.
Hearts of Oak expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Match Review Committee. Following a thorough investigation, the committee determined that Papala had made an incorrect call by disallowing the goal, as Baafi was not in an offside position.
As a result, Papala has been suspended from officiating matches for a period of one year, reflecting the severity of his error. The committee’s findings affirm that the goal should have been rightfully awarded to Hearts of Oak.
WATCH THE INCIDENT BELOW
