Hearts pay ?50 million for Laryea Kingston

Accra Hearts of Oak have concluded the payment of ?50 million to city rivals, Great Olympics as transfer fees on Laryea Kingston. Hearts issued a cheque for ?40 million to Olympics last week and instructed them to make up the balance with ?10 million Oly had owed them on the transfer of James Zogho, a former striker of the champion club.

Mr Ernest Thompson, secretary to the Board of Directors of Hearts told the GNA Sports on Tuesday that the Phobians have not yet taken a decision on Samuel Monnie who also joined their ranks at the close of the season from Great Olympics but pay his wages as and when due because he trains with them.

He said though the two players presented themselves to Hearts as floating players when they returned from their botched professional escapade in Libya, the management of the Premier club have decided to respect the ruling of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Status Committee, which brokered an amicable settlement over the two clubs in connection with the players.

The Hearts scribe said the Status Committee approved of ?50 million on Kingston and ?40 million on Monnie and Hearts accepted their decision and accordingly cancelled the debt on Kingston who has been registered by the club. He said though they wrote to Olympics explaining their position, Oly wrote to inform the GFA that Hearts have paid ?20 million as part payment for each player while it was appropriately stated that the money was to conclude the deal on Kingston.

Mr Thompson said as much as Hearts would like to co-exist with Olympics in the most friendly atmosphere, such a desire must be primary to the two teams before it could materialise. He said the action of Olympics undermines the spirit of good neighbourliness, adding that "their position is untenable because the seller cannot impose his commodity on the buyer; the buyer pays for what he needs."

The Hearts scribe said if Olympics want to please their accounting system by splitting Kingston's money to cover Monnie, they could do so and Hearts would not challenge their book-keeping methods but by informing the GFA that the money was meant for the two players, they have been rather unfair to Hearts.

Asked if Hearts would not need the services of Monnie, Mr Thompson said a decision would be taken at a later date and if the player would not be in the plans of the Phobians he could return Olympics.