Hearts visit grieving relatives of Ofei Ansah

Accra, June 8, GNA - The football family of Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club made up of the Board members, Management, Playing Body and Chapters Committee on Wednesday paid a visit to the family house of their late coach Ofei Ansah to commiserate with the bereaved family. Coach Emmanuel Ofei Ansah 52, collapsed after a gruelling eighth-week GT Premier League match against city rivals Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals on Tuesday and was immediately rushed to the Ridge Hospital in Accra. Ofei Ansah later passed away in the early hours of Wednesday.

The delegation was accompanied by Alhaji Sly Tetteh and Coach Cecil Jones Attuqauyefio (an Uncle of late Ofei Ansah) all of Liberty Professionals. A statement signed by Mr Ashford Tettey Oku, Administrative Manager of the Club copied to the GNA Sports Desk said during the meeting with the family, Ato Ahwoi, Board Chairman of Hearts expressed the Club's deepest sympathies and assured them of the club's active involvement in all activities relating to the funeral.

In a related development Hearts on Wednesday called off a presentation ceremony of a bus donated by his Excellency, President J A Kufour to the Club at the Castle, Osu. A statement from the Hearts Secretariat said the decision was arrived at after an emergency Board and Management meeting in consultation with the Ministry of Education and Sports. The reason, according to the release was that the Club is in deep state of grief after the sudden death of the acting coach of the team, Emmanuel Ofei Ansah and as such it would be inappropriate to mix grief with celebration.

Coach Ofei Ansah was reported to have visited the hospital earlier on Tuesday ahead of the epic match with a cardio related illness but managed to join the team's bench to guide his side to victory. The ex-Black Stars cum Hearts player who joined the technical handlers of the team in 1996 after 13 years of playing career with the team took over the reigns of Hearts in a caretaker capacity from Archibald Lamptey after the first game of the season. Ofei Ansah's playing career started in 1973 with Hearts after a stint with the club's nursery team, Auroras. He also partnered former head coach Jones Attuquayefio to conquer Africa in the Champions League in 2000 and the Super Cup in the same year.

The statement said so far condolence messages have been received from Mr O. B. Amoah, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Mr Kwasi Nyantakyi and Kofi Nsiah of the Ghana Football Association and Mrs Eva Lokko, Director General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.