Hearts supporters in Tamale take to the streets

Tamale, Jan. 9, GNA - Supporters of the Accra Hearts of Oak sporting club on Sunday evening took to the streets of the Tamale Metropolis when the team beat Kumasi Asante Kotoko to win the CAF Confederations Cup at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

Some of the supporters started their jubilation soon after Hearts won the penalty shoot out to win the cup.

Some of them defied traffic regulation and rode motorbikes on the opposite side of the roads around the Kokuo residential area while others hooted car horns including long vehicles on their way to Burkina-Faso and beyond with the motorists exhibiting acrobatic display.

Shouting the teams' slogan: "Phobia, Never Say Die", "Phobia, the boys are good" and "Phobia, Obia se eye", the supporters did not have time to witness the presentation ceremony since they were just happy running with the flags of the club in jubilant mood.

At the main Tamale-Bolgatanga road, a group of supporters in the clubs paraphernalia shouted to every vehicle that passed and others carried Hearts flags on bicycles and in Taxi cabs.

Speaking to the GNA Sports, Mr Tetteh Kwao, a supporter and a Drinking Bar operator within the GNA premises said he was full of joy due to the fact that Hearts won the Cup on Kotoko's home grounds, an indication that Hearts could not be beaten on a silver platter.

Mr Daniel Nkrumah, a store operator around the Filla FM premises took off his shirt and walked bare footed running along the streets shaking hands with whoever came across him in appreciation of the support given to the club to win the cup.

He told the GNA Sports that before the match, he was the only one around the area who predicted a win for Hearts and that football, though a passion game, he would not have been able to eat if Hearts lost.

He appealed to supporters and sympathizers of the club to continue to give the team the needed support to chalk more successes.

However, some supporters of Kotoko expressed gratitude for Hearts for winning the cup saying: "Football is a game of chance and it was not easy for Kotoko to beat Hearts".

Mr David Yorose, a student at the University for Development Studies (UDS), a Kotoko fan said though he accepted the defeat of Kotoko, it would be very difficult for him to eat food for the next two days. He congratulated Hearts for winning the cup and urged players and supporters of Kotoko not to be down- hearted since the cup had remained in the country and that a lot of tasks were still ahead of them to perform in lifting high the team's name.

Mr Kofi Appiah, said he was still not believing himself after Kotoko had failed to win the Cup after drawing with Hearts at their home ground and scoring the first goal in the final leg, adding that losing to Hearts was not very painful since the cup now belongs to Ghana.