Hearts parts way with coach Oti-Akenten

Accra, July 31, GNA 96 Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club has announced the termination of the appointment of their head coach, Francis Oti-Akenteng, citing his uninspiring and unsatisfactory performance.

"We have assessed that the over-all tactical and technical performance of the team has been uninspiring and unsatisfactory since you took over, to the extent that the Club has recorded worse results in its continental history=94, Mr Thomas Okine, Chief Executive Officer of the Club said in a statement copied to the GNA Sports. The statement said that 93we regret to exercise our right to terminate our contract with immediate effect for your non-performance."

Coach Oti-Akenteng joined Hearts in December 2005 and supervised Hearts to annex the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) and Professional League Board (PLB) Top Four and Special Knock-Out competitions respectively but failed to translate such achievements unto the continental level. Hearts lost their maiden game in the CAF/MTN Champions League 2-0 against Enyimba International of Nigeria at home and followed with a humiliating 3-0 defeat by Asec Mimosas in their second away game in Abidjan over the weekend. In the interim it is said that assistant coaches Atu Hammond and Eddie Ansah have been assigned with the technical duties until a new coach is appointed.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA Sports, coach Oti-Akenteng said he had similar intentions to quit the job and only wanted to do it on his arrival from Abidjan hence he is not surprised about the situation. According to the coach, he is not surprised by the move taken by the management of the club because coaches are hired to be fired when things go bad. Coach Oti-Akenteng said that even though he did his best to ensure the progress of the Club, some elements within the Club seem not to favour his efforts and that this might have worked against him. He however conceded the fact that it was inexperience that worked against the team since it was the first time some of the players were having their continental assignments.

The coach added that the absence of some key players like Bernard Don Bortey, Amankwah Mireku and Dan Quaye affected their play since they are tried and tested players who could have made a change. Bortey and Mireku are nursing injuries whilst Quaye is reported to be in United Kingdom embarking on trials with Crystal Palace. Hearts are expected to change their fortunes in two weeks time when they come up against Orlando Pirates of South Africa.