Sports News of Friday, 5 October 2018
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2018-10-05
Mark Noonan, CEO of Accra Hearts of Oak
Accra Hearts of Oak have reportedly agreed terms with an expatriate coach to take charge of the club by the end of this month.
No details of the deal have been made known, neither has the identity of the coach revealed, apart from the fact that he is a German.
Hearts have been without a substantive coach since relieving caretaker coach, Henry Lamptey Wellington of his duty last June and appointed Seth Hoffman to take charge temporarily.
Hearts of Oak have been looking for a replacement since subtantive coach, Frank Nuttal left last February
Wellington was brought in as a stop-gap when Hearts were compelled to send away, their expatriate coach, Frank Nuttal just at the start of the new season.
At a rare stakeholders’ meeting in Accra on Wednesday, the Managing Director of Hearts, Mark Noonan disclosed that an agreement has been reached to bring on board a new head coach from Germany.
The meeting held at the Hearts Secretariat brought together representatives from the Board, management and supporters, who discussed varied issues affecting the club and how they could forge ahead together to bring back the glorious days for the club.
The 2005 CAF Confederation Cup champions’ coaching problems began last February when just before the start of the season, they decided to sack Nuttal for breaching the club’s code of conduct.
Wellington was brought on to hold the fort, but a string of poor results during the now aborted Premier League campaign, also forced the Phobians to terminate Wellington’s deal.
The club then set out to get a new coach, making an effort to head hunt, pencilling former West Africa Football Academy (WAFA) coach, Klavs Rasmussen. However, they could not reach a deal with the Danish.
It was also reported that the former CAF Champions League winners also tried to engage Swedish coach Tom Strand but that remained mere speculation.
Since 2012, Hearts of Oak, who celebrate their 107th anniversary on November 11, have ‘hired and fired’ 10 coaches with the likes of C.K Akunnor, David Duncan, Herbert Addo and Mohammed Polo, all handling the club at one time or the other.