Hearts should be sanctioned - Prof Mintah

Professor J.K. Mintah, coach of Dwarfs, has called on the Disciplinary Committee of the Ghana FA to sanction Hearts, Mahatma Otoo and Uriah Asante jointly and severally for negligence.

Hearts were engaged in some bizarre circumstances on the last matchday when two of their players, Otoo and Asante, caused a twenty minute delay to the start of the game. Both were nowhere near the stadium by kickoff, despite being in the side's starting lineup.

"I have never seen anything like this in all my years watching football. To say this is weird is an understatement," Professor Mintah told SuperSport.com.

Hearts have not commented, officially or otherwise, on the matter which saw them begin the game in Cape Coast with nine players, to Dwarfs eleven. According to Dwarfs, Hearts had given the excuse that the two players were having stomach upsets and so were sorting themselves out in the washroom, hence the delay.

But Professor Mintah has pushed for the rules to take their course. "Hearts are a big club and they know the rules. There are many official alternatives to deal with a situation like this. An excuse must not be taken. They must be sanctioned jointly and severally."

Possible sanctions for Hearts could include a points deduction or fines for club and players. However, SuperSport.com has learnt that other Dwarfs officials, due to the fact that they won the game 1-0, have been seriously pushing for punishments for Hearts.

"I know we won the game and the three points, but for posterity to know that the systems work, we need to do what is right. If it is wrong, it is wrong," the Dwarfs coach argued. The eventful game finished with Rashid Sumaila's sending off seeing Dwarfs finish with ten men, while Hearts finished with eleven as Otoo and Asante were allowed to come on later in the first half.