Hohoe United Ghana Premier League Exit Over GFA Issues

Hohoe United Football Club has announced that they will withdraw from future matches this season of the 2025-2026 Ghanaian Premier League due to systemic inequalities within the Ghana Football Association. This decision Hohoe United Ghana Premier League exit represents an extremely important moment for Ghana Football and raises concerns over governance and officiating quality.

A “Painful but Necessary” Decision

In its statement, Hohoe United said withdrawing from the league was “a difficult but necessary” decision, indicating they believe there have been numerous incidents where processes have been compromised, officials have been questionable, and penalised in ways that harm the competitive nature of their team.

The Committee said that each of these things has happened multiple times rather than once; therefore, the club can no longer participate.

Series of Controversies Leading to Withdrawal

Information provided by Hohoe United shows a historical pattern of actions leading the club to its decision.

The first occurrence was an incident that took place on January 25, 2026, when Hohoe United faced Vision FC at the Hohoe Sports Stadium. On January 28, just three days after the match, the GFA Prosecutor issued a charge sheet against Hohoe United. As required by the GFA Code of Conduct, Hohoe United submitted a Not Guilty Plea and a Statement of Defence by the 30th of January.

On the 8th of March, Hohoe United won a game against Medeama SC in Tarkwa; however, Hohoe United claims the performance of centre referee – Maxwell Hanson – in this match was “suspect.”

On the following day, the GFA Disciplinary Committee imposed a three-match home ban and a fine of GH¢30,000 on Hohoe United as a result of the above incident. Hohoe United believes that these sanctions were placed upon the club without a formal hearing, without the presentation of the referee’s account of events, and without a reasonable written explanation detailing the reasons for the sanctions.

Disputes Over Appeals Process

After receiving sanctions, Hohoe United appealed to the GFA Appeals Committee on March 10 as per league regulations. The club later received communication from the GFA General Secretary claiming that they needed to appeal to the Disciplinary Committee instead.

The club is disputing this directive, as it does not have any foundation within the rules. However, Hohoe United refiled its appeal for compliance on March 24 with the new directive.

Officiating and Venue Concerns

However, in addition to disciplinary issues, officiating and operational mishaps on match days were raised by Hohoe United to the league.

During an away match vs. the Swedru All Blacks on March 22. The club reported that its fans could only enter through one entrance and had to pay GH₵ 50, while other fans were charged GH₵ 20, which contradicted earlier announcements.
Another case involves the officiating in a rescheduled match played against Dreams FC at the Nii Adjei Kraku Stadium in Tema, where the club claimed that officiating by referee Mohammed Misbau and his crew directly affected the outcome of the match.

A Principled Stand Against the System

Despite any challenges, the club asserts it abided by all league rules for this season. Hohoe United claims that it filed all of the paperwork on time and acted with professionalism throughout the season.

However, Hohoe United also claims that it experienced procedural lies, forced site changes, suspect officiating, and sanctions that seem to have been designed to influence their standing within the league.

Furthermore, Hohoe United stated that the current system is compromised by providing a way for officials to show their bias rather than safeguarding fairness and transparency.

Hohoe United intends to stand by its principles when withdrawing from the league, to show it will not support a system that is unjust.

Final Thoughts

Hohoe United’s departure from the Ghana Premier League is not only a club-level decision, but it also indicates larger concerns about how the game is governed. While Hohoe has lain dormant as a club, they have conveyed that there is more to their story than simply being safekept at the moment.

As the story continues to develop, all eyes will likely be focused on how authorities respond to the matter and whether corrective action will be taken or not.

FAQs

1. Why did Hohoe United withdraw from the Ghana Premier League?

In their statement, Hohoe stated that systemic unfairness, such as improper refereeing and penalties that were either failing to include proper procedure, or inconsistent procedures of the GFA, resulted in them withdrawing from the league.

2. What penalties were given to Hohoe United?

Hohoe United’s penalties included being banned from playing their next three home matches and being fined $GH30,000, without being allowed an opportunity to present any explanations.

3. Did Hohoe United file an appeal against this penalty?

Yes, Hohoe United filed an appeal against the penalty, and ran into further dispute regarding the correct procedures for filing the appeal, and were told to re-file.

4. Was there anything else that Hohoe United cited as an issue?

Hohoe United cited concerns regarding the manner in which officiating was performed, the way that matches and their venues were changed without notifying Hohoe United, and the unequal treatment of Hohoe United supporters compared to supporters of other clubs.