Hearts of Oak Champions winning Squad
Former Hearts of Oak players Yaw Amankwah Mireku and Dan Quaye have strongly denied claims that members of the club’s 2000 CAF Champions League-winning squad received $100,000 each.
Former Hearts CEO Harry Zakour, speaking on Sporty FM, claimed the club received $3 million after winning the competition and used part of the money to reward the players. According to Zakour, each of the 18 players received $100,000.
Mireku, however, dismissed the claim as false, insisting he received only $180 after the historic triumph.
He challenged Zakour to provide evidence of the alleged payment and said he was prepared to take the matter to court.
“None of the players was awarded $100,000 for winning the CAF African Champions League. I only received $180,” Mireku said.
Quaye also disputed Zakour’s account, saying he remembers receiving approximately $2,000 rather than $100,000.
“It is never true that we were paid that amount. I was never given the said amount,” Quaye stated.
Hearts of Oak made history in 2000 by defeating Tunisia’s Esperance in the CAF Champions League final, becoming the first Ghanaian club to win the competition in its modern format.
The Phobians followed that success by defeating Zamalek in the 2001 CAF Super Cup before adding another continental title with victory in the 2005 CAF Confederation Cup.
BY Wletsu Ransford
