Accra Hearts of Oak SC
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Accra Hearts of Oak SC
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| Full name | Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Phobia | ||
| Founded | 11 November 1911 | ||
| Ground | Ohene Djan Stadium Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana (Capacity: 40,000) |
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| President |  Commodore Mensah |
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| Head coach | Charles K. Akunnor |
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| League | Glo Premier League | ||
| 2011–12 | Glo Premier League, 3rd | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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- For other meanings see Hearts of Oak
Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Hearts of Oak or just Hearts, is a professional football club based in Accra, Greater Accra. The club is competing in the Glo Premier League.
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Contents
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History
Hearts have been among Ghana and Africa's pre-eminent clubs since their founding and have been very successful since the formation of a Ghanaian football league in 1956 having collected the league title 20 times. This brings them one behind their rivals Asante Kotoko of Kumasi, who have been champions 21 times.
The early years
The club was formed in 1911 and was the second team to be founded in Accra after the Invincibles. They are the oldest existing club in Ghana. The club was, in the most part, trained by Ackom Duncan, who would also become the team's first captain. Other members of the fledgling club were J.T. Ankrah (father of Ghana boxing great, Roy Ankrah), and C.B. Nettey, who was later to become the chairman of the Ghana Football Association. Hearts first match would come on November 11, 1911 against the Invincible.[1]
Hearts of Oak won their first major match in 1922 when Sir Gordon Guggisberg, governor of the Gold Coast, founded the Accra Football League. Hearts won 6 out of 12 seasons in this league. In 1956, Hearts joined the Ghanaian football league and have flourished since.[2] Their vice chairman was Mr Robert Hayfron.
Tragedy
Hearts suffered a great tragedy on May 9, 2001 when 126 people died in Africa's worst footballing disaster while watching a match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. Trouble started when supporters of Asante Kotoko began ripping out seats in an act of hooliganism in protest at a goal allowed by the referee for Hearts of Oak, which they believe should have been disallowed for offside. Police reacted by firing tear gas into the crowd, it has been suggested that this was an over-reaction. Reports suggest that the gates to the ground were locked and that the rush to escape the tear gas was a contributory factor to the death toll. A commission inquiry strangely failed to indict the hooligans in its report.[3]
Records
Accra Hearts of Oak have won both major current CAF trophies despite never winning any of the older incarnations of the CAF competitions. They are the only team in Ghana to have won the league on six consecutive occasions (1997–2002).
On winning the league title in 2009, Hearts are now one behind their rivals Asante Kotoko for the most overall titles. With 9 championships, Hearts have won one more FA cup titles than their arch rivals Kotoko.
Glory years of 2000
In 2000, Accra hearts of oak had the perfect campaign by winning the Ghana FA cup, the Ghana premier league and the CAF champions league. It however came after an unconvincing start to the season when they lost the J.O.T. Agyemang cup to the main arch rivals Asante Kotoko F.C. at the Accra sports stadium in January 2000 and were also eliminated in the preliminary stages of the Guinness Gala 2000. Their season did kick off after the return of Ishmael Addo from trials in Europe and the controversial signing of donbote. They inflicted a 4:0 defeat on their main arch rivals Asante Kotoko F.C. on their way to winning the league with several matches to spare.
In the CAF champions league which they had never won before, they managed to embark on an almost flawless campaign losing only one game in Kinshasa to DC Motema Pembe of Congo DR. In the two-legged final of the tournament, Hearts of oak beat Espérance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia in the first leg by 2:1 at the El Menzah stadium ending Esperance's 41 year long unbeaten home record (in continental competition). In the second leg, Hearts of Oak beat Esperance 3:1 at the Accra Accra sports stadium in a match marred by disturbances from the home fans and a self inflicted injury by Chokri El Ouaer.
On February 2001, they topped off a perfect campaign with a 2:0 victory against Zamalek club of Egypt at the Kumasi Sports stadium in Ghana to win the Africa Super Cup.
Honours
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- 2000
- Runners-up 1977, 1979
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- 1956, 1958, 1961/62, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1989/90, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2009
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- 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1999, 2000
- Ghana SWAG Cup: 7
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- 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985
- Ghana Telecom Gala: 4
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- 1974, 1976, 1986, 1998/99
- Ghana Top Four Cup: 3
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- 2002, 2006, 2010
- PLB Special Knock-out: 1
- Ghana Annual Republic Day Cup: 1
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- 2002
Performance in CAF competitions
- CAF Champions League: 10 appearances
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: 8 appearances
- CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance
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- 2004 – Champion
- CAF Cup: 1 appearance
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- 1993 – Second Round
- CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 5 appearances
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- 1982 – Semi-Finals
- 1988 – withdrew in First Round
- 1990 – Quarter-Finals
- 1995 – Quarter-Finals
- 1997 – Second Round
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- 2001
Memorable squads
- 1977 Team – Beat Mufulira Wanderers of Zambia 3 – 0 (Miracle of El-Wak)
Sam Suppey, Aryee Quaye, Ofei Ansah, Sarpei Nunnoo, Anthony Micah, Adolf Armah, Mahama "Acquah" Musah (Captain), Peter Lamptey, Anas Seidu, Robert Hammond, Mohammed Ahmed "Polo", Paul Annan, Bashiru Gambo, Addo Quarcoo, Yusif Salifu, Tanko Ayuba, Douglas Tagoe
Head Coach: Charles Addo Odametey
Club President: Tommy Thompson
Sam Suppey, Ofei Ansah, Hesse Odamtten, Nii Noi Thompson, Justice Moore, Adolf Armah*, John Nketsia Yawson, Robert Hammond (Captain), Kingston Asabre, Anas Seidu, Douglas Tagoe, Paul Annan, Anthony Micah, Simons Awuah
- Adolf Armah was voted Africa's 2nd Best Player of the Year
Head Coach: Charles Addo Odametey
Club President: Tommy Thompson
- 1987 Team - "The Musical Youth" - Hearts Youthful Team That Rocked Ghana Soccer
Sam Abbeyquaye, NanaBenyin Crentsil, Fred Akuffo, Ben Adjei, Anyetei Sowah, Thomas Quaye, Joe Addo (Captain), Ahmed Oguaa, Paul Adjoda, Eben Dugbartey, Amponsah Doddoo, Edward "Santrofi" Acquah, Eric Mensah, Adjetey Sowah, Ablade Kumah, Sowah Ghartey, Shamo Quaye, Razak Adjinie, Lawrence "Adu Beilah" Annan
Head Coach: Cobinnah
Club President: Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe
Sammy Adjei, Yaw Amankwah Mireku, Jacob Nettey (Captain), Edward Agyeman-Duah, Stephen Tetteh, Lawrence Adjah-Tetteh, Charles Allotey, Joe Ansah, Ishmael Addo, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour*, Charles Asampong Taylor, Eben "Dida" Armah, James Nanor, Dan Quaye, Justice Ampah, Edmund Copson, James Zoglo, Emmanuel Donkor, Emmanuel Adjogu, Maouas Kwame Ali.
- Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour was top scorer in the Champions League Competition
- Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour "General", Charles Kwaku Asampong "Taylor", Bernard Dong Bortey "Dada Diouf/Serial Killer" and Ishmael Addo formed the much dreaded 64 Battalion. This squad won all there is to win in Africa that year in a surreal fashion. They traveled to Tunis for the first leg of the 2000 Champions League. After going down by a goal early in the game, they came back to score two late goals over an Espérance team that hadn't lost at home for that year. The return league was even better. An Espérance early goal had subdued the home fans to fear and total silence before the 'Battalion' staged a three-goal comeback to wrap up as winners, piercing fear into the hearts of all the African clubs in the process. When the once continental lords – Egypt's Zamalek SC – came to Ghana to meet Hearts for the Super Cup, the fear in the visiting side was so evident as they succumbed to a 2 nil defeat amidst a plague of attacks from the Phobians. Hearts' performance geared them to the 8th place in world club ranking for that period. Some football minds even believed their form could be one of the reasons FIFA scratched it's World Club Championship tournament for that year to calm the fears of European teams suffering humiliation at the hands of the African conquerors. That theory is still yet to be proven though but one thing was clear: the '64 Battalion' were just dangerous!
Head Coach: Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Club President: Harry Zakour
- 2004 Team – Confederations Cup Inaugural Winners – Beat Compatriots, Asante Kotoko in Finals
Sannie Mohammed, Dan Quaye, Amankwah Mireku (Captain), Acquah Harrison, Michael Donkor, Francis Bossman, Adjah Tetteh, Lawrence Adjei, Louis Agyemang, Prince Tagoe, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Dong Bortey, Ablade Morgan.
Head Coach: Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Club President: Tommy Okine (Nii Ayi Bonte II)
Current squad – 2011/2012 season
First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve team
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
Famous players
All popular players of the club[4]
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Other notable players
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Former head coaches
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Former chairmen
- H. P. Nyametei
- Akai Nettey
- C. B. Nettey
- Tommy Thompson
- Harry Sawyerr
- Seth Abadzie
- Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe
- Awuah Nyamekye
- Ernest Bediako
- Harry Zakour
- Bright Akwetey
- Andrew West
- Hon. E.C. Quaye
- Fred Creintsil
References
External links
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