Hearts demand RTU enquiry

Accra, Nov 8, GNA - The Management of Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club have asked the Professional League Board (PLB) to thoroughly investigate the bribery allegations levelled against the Management of Real Tamale United (RTU) by supporters of the club in their match against Kumasi Asante Kotoko which ended abruptly at the Kaladan Park in Tamale last Sunday.

A statement signed by Mr Ashford Tettey Oku, Administrative Manager of the Club said investigating the issue would deepen the principle of fair-play in the game as is being preached by the world soccer governing body, FIFA.


He said the decision by Hearts to add their voice to the issue stems from a release by the Supporters Union of RTU demanding the dissolution of their management on the grounds that they had connived with officials of Kotoko to throw away their 29th week match as published in the Daily Graphic of November 8.


The statement continued that it was necessary that all parties found guilty in the matter should be dealt with without fear or favour and that the appropriate sanctions should be meted out in line with Article 36(5) of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) regulations. It said that it recalls that two years ago Kotoko won the league for the first in its tenth attempt under very dubious means that smacked in the face of all moral principles guarding game as confirmed by some management members of the then IMC of the Club.

The statement said such was the enormity of the fall out of the problem that the then IMC of Kotoko led Sylvester Owusu-Asare was dissolved and Coach Abdul Razak was fired but surprisingly the GFA and PLB failed to see anything wrong with it thus leaving Kotoko off the hook.


It said that in as much as Hearts want the spectators who disrupted the match last Sunday be punished, there is also the need for fair-play in arriving at the true champion for the 2005 league.


The statement said "it is obvious that the teams cannot claim credit for any point and we leave the judgement to the authorities concerned in a bid to raise higher the profile of the sponsors of the Premier League, Ghana Telecom.