Referee Gabriel Opoku who has been appointed to handle the Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko Independence Commemorative clash was slapped with a 6-game ban last November.
The referee failed to send off Kotoko captain Ismael Abdul Ganiyu despite committing a serious foul during a Matchday 2 clash at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
A ruling by the Match Review Panel said Asante’s Kotoko Ismael Abdul Ganiyu who committed a serious offense against Emmanuel Avornyo of Bechem United deserved to have been shown the exit by the referee but he ignored the incident and failed to send the player off.
Referee Arhin had stated in his defense that he could not immediately see from the distance he was standing and after consulting with the fourth referee, Andrew Awurisa, he decided to hand the minimal sanction of a yellow card.
Based on this, the panel which was chaired by Dr. Francis Eyiah Bediako decided to suspend referee Arhin for six matches while the fourth referee has been handed a four-match suspension.
Rustum Gameli Senorgbe, the referee who officiated the rescheduled Matchday 7 clash between the two titans, received raving reviews.
