Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Hearts of Oak or just Hearts is a professional sports club based in Accra (Greater Accra), Ghana. The club competes in the Ghana Premier League, the Premier division on the Ghanaian football pyramid.
The Ohene Djan Sports Stadium (former Accra Sports Stadium) is their home grounds where they play their home games. Hearts has won the Premier League twenty times, the FA Cup a record ten times, the President's Cup twice, and the CAF African Champions League and the CAF Confederations Cup each once. Hearts of Oak was also ranked 8th football club in the world in the year 2000 when the club dominated most of the continent's sporting activities.
The club was founded on 11 November 1911. Hearts of Oak won their first major match in 1922 when Sir Gordon Guggisberg, governor of the Gold Coast, founded the Accra Football League. Hearts won 6 out of 12 seasons in this league. In 1956, Hearts joined the Ghanaian Football League and has flourished since.
In the year 2000, Hearts of Oak won the Ghana FA Cup, the Ghana Premier League, and for the first time in their history the CAF Champions League. This was the most successful year in the Clubs' history. Main article: Accra Sports Stadium disaster
On May 9, 2001, 127 people died in Africa's worst footballing disaster. During a match between rivals, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. Trouble started when supporters of Asante Kotoko began ripping out seats in an act of hooliganism in protest at a goal allowed by the referee.
The match was officiated by referee J. Wilson Sey, from Cape Coast. Police reacted by firing tear gas into the crowd, it has been suggested that this was an overreaction.
Reports suggest that the gates to the ground were locked and the stadium was not up to FIFA standards. The rush to escape the tear gas was a contributory factor to the death toll. A commission inquiry indicted six police officers in its initial report, but they were not convicted as it was deemed that the deaths could have been caused by the stampede instead of the tear gas.
Accra Hearts of Oak play home matches at the Accra Sports Stadium. The Accra Sports Stadium formerly known as Ohene Djan Sports Stadium is currently under construction and holds an estimated 40,000 seats. Although purchased in the 1980s, the Pobiman Training Ground was only put to use in the summer of 2018. Construction for an expansion of the 19-acre site in the Pobiman neighborhood is currently in the planning stages way. The club plans to build a state-of-the-art facility.
Accra Hearts of Oak's longest-established rivalry is with Asante Kotoko S.C. and their city rivals Accra Great Olympics FC.
HONOURS Official Trophies (recognized by CAF and FIFA)Domestic
Ghanaian League Champions: 1956, 1958, 1961–62, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009. (20 titles)
Ghanaian FA Cup:
1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1990 (After winning a protest that declared them winners), 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999, 2000. (10 titles)
Ghana Super Cup:
1997, 1998. (2 titles)
International
CAF Confederation Cup: 2004 (won)
CAF Champions League: 2000 (won) Runners-up: 1977, 1979
CAF Super Cup: 2001 (won) Runners-up: 2005
CAF Clubs of the 20th Century: Accra Hearts of Oak is one of CAF's clubs of the 20th Century
PLAYERS
No. Position Player
1 Ghana GK Richard Attah
2 Ghana GK Richmond Ayi
3 Ghana GK Ben Mensah
4 Ghana DF Fatawu Mohammed
5 Ghana DF Willian Darkyi
6 Ghana DF Mohammed Alhassan
7 Ghana DF Christopher Boney
8 Ghana DF Robert Addo
9 Republic of the Congo DF Raddy Ovuoka
10 Ghana DF Benjamin Agyare
12 Ghana DF Larry Sumaila
13 Ghana DF Anthony Quayson
14 Ghana MF Benjamin Afutu
15 Niger MF Abdourahmane Mamane
16 Ghana MF Emmanuel Nettey
17 Ghana MF Fredrick Ansah B.
18 Ghana MF S. Kodie
19 Ghana MF Nuru Sulley
20 Ghana MF Manaf umar
21 Ghana Michelle Sarpong
22 Ghana FW Joseph Esso
23 FW Kofi Kordzi
24 Ghana FW Daniel Afriyie
25 Nigeria FW Danjuma Ademola Kuti MANAGERS (Since 1991)
Romania Petre Gavril? (1991–95)
Ghana Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (1998–01)
Ghana Herbert Addo (2002–03)
Germany Ernst Middendorp (2004)
Israel Eyal Lahman (2008)
Serbia Kosta Papi? (2008–09)
Serbia Nebojša Vu?i?evi? (2011–12)
Ghana Charles Akonnor (2012)
Ghana David Duncan (2012–13)
Ghana Mohammed Ahmed (Polo) (Interim) (2014)
JapanKenichi Yatsuhashi (2015–2016)
PortugalSérgio Traguil (2016 –2016)
Scotland Frank Nuttall (2017–18)
Ghana Henry Wellington Lamptey (2018)
Ghana Seth Hoffmann (2018)
EnglandGhana Kim Grant (2018–2019)
Ghana Edward Nii Odoom (2020 to date)
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