Former Hearts of Oak player and coach Mohammed Polo has criticised the management of the club, accusing them of being clueless in their day-to-day operations.
Polo, who holds a legendary status at Hearts of Oak, expressed his disappointment with the Togbe Afede XIV-led team’s handling of the club.
Polo’s criticism comes in the wake of a disappointing season for Hearts of Oak, where they failed to secure any trophies and narrowly avoided relegation from the Ghana Premier League with a goalless draw against Berekum Chelsea on the final day. The 12th-place finish was a far cry from their championship-winning performance just two seasons ago.
Hearts of Oak experienced managerial changes throughout the season, starting with Samuel Boadu, who was sacked after just four games despite delivering the league and FA Cup double in a little over a year. Serbian trainer Slavko Matic was appointed but faced supporter backlash due to poor results, and caretaker coach David Ocloo took charge for the remainder of the season without making a significant impact.
In an interview with Accra-based Radio Gold, Polo said, “The only coach who was given time and achieved results is the late Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio. How many years did it take for him to win continental trophies? So all these coaches who come and leave within a short time, the same thing applied to me.”
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“When I left, it was in the absence of the bankroller, Togbe Afede XIV and when he came he asked why I was allowed to go. But I was wondering why they could overturn that decision, it shows clearly there are people who don’t understand football and they are pulling strings over there and they are dictating the pace over there. And you can’t have people like that over there in a team and get the team going, it has never happened,” he added.
With the search for a new coach underway, Hearts of Oak will hope to address the issues raised by Polo and rebuild for future success.