Hearts board has to decide on JAK Cup – Nyaho-Tamakloe

A board member of Accra Hearts of Oak, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, says the decision to honour the John Agyekum Kufuor Cup rests with the Board of Directors, despite the threat of a boycott by the club’s supporters.

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe told Accra-based Onua FM yesterday that the decision to play the match or not does not depend on the claims of the supporters.

“It is the Board who have to decide on what should be done. Reports are in the media that we will not honour the match, but the Board has not communicated that. The Board will not take instruction from any other people, so they should forget about it,” he stated.

Arch rivals, Hearts and Kotoko, are scheduled to honour a charity match dubbed: “JAK Cup” to mark the 80th birthday of former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday, October 28, 2018, at the Baba Yara Stadium.

However, a section of Hearts fans have raised red flags, calling for the boycott of the match following the arrest of seven Hearts supporters who damaged plastic chairs at the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday in protest against what they claimed to be biased officiating.

The fans called on the management of the club not to honour the match because they felt the two teams have played enough matches in recent times as rivals, including the two-leg friendly which Kotoko won 2-0 back-to-back.

Others were of the view that the recent games played between the two sides recorded poor officiating, hence Kotoko’s back-to-back victories over Hearts in their last two encounters.

The fans maintained that it was poor refereeing that caused some of their supporters to rip off plastic chairs at the Baba Yara Stadium, leading to their arrest.

Primeval Media, organisers of the JAK Cup match, expect to raise GH¢80 million to cater for the various developments and leadership projects under the JAK Foundation.