Hearts want Arsenal of England for centenary anniversary match

Aside the plea to all Ghanaians to join hands to make the

occasion a national celebration, Hearts of Oak want to mark the occasion of

their 100th anniversary so grandly, they are proposing a game

against an opponent from the English Premier League (EPL) for the centenary

match scheduled for November 13 in Accra.

Spurred on by the presence of EPL boss Sir Richard Davids

and a delegation from England at the launch of the 100 years anniversary of

Ghana’s oldest exiting club, Hearts Chairman E.M. Commordore-Mensah revealed an

elaborate plan of activities to mark the event, chief among them the game

against an international club side on a FIFA calendar date for international

matches.

“We will play the anniversary match on 13th November, a FIFA free day, against an

international club, preferably Arsenal of

England and we hope that Sir Davids who we are blessed to have in our midst

here will help work it out for us,” said Mr. Commordore-Mensah at the 100th

anniversary launch last week at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

Mr. Commordore-Mensah, a self-confessed Arsenal fan also

recited a chronological history of the club which was founded on the 11th day of the

11th month (November) in the 11th year of the

last century (1911) by a group of young men led by Asafoatse Nettey to offer

challenge to the only other existing football clubs at the time, Excelsoir and

Invincibles.

“It is the hope of the CPC (Central Planning Committee) that

all Ghanaians, irrespective of their club affiliations, join hands to make it a

national celebration. The real challenge is finance, our traditional revenue

sources have dried up. We target to raise GH?1million

out of which a centenary hostel will be built for the club,” revealed the

Hearts Board Chairman.

Hearts count among their achievements in the 100 years, 19

times Ghana champions, including a record 6 consecutive titles in the Premier

league era, 10 FA Cups, 9 champion of champions including 4 doubles, the 2000

CAF African Champions’ League title, the 2000 Africa Super Cup as well as the

maiden CAF Confederations’ Cup in 2004.

Former Minister of State Kofi Totobi Quakyi, a patron of the

club and Special Guest of Honour who officially launched the 100th anniversary

celebrations, decried the days when Hearts of Oak matches were

exciting and sell-outs. He has therefore charged the current Board and

management of the club to restore Hearts of Oak back to its glory days.

“A hundred years is no mean achievement in the history of a

club. We celebrate 100 years of Hearts of Oak with mixed emotions but we’ve had

our celebrations. Our only pledge is that we will restore the club to its glory

days. A pledge that this club that has brought us so much joy in the past will

bring us joy again. It’s only when we do that, that we can be proud of our 100

years,” Mr. Totobi Quakyi addressed the ceremony.