Feature: Odotei-Sowah back to Hearts? No!

While many clubs across the globe recycle their success stories to keep being champions, Hearts of Oak keep recycling their problems as the club keeps wallowing in ingloriousness.

Sources say Odotei-Sowah is inches away from becoming the new CEO of the club with Frederick Moore on his way out!

Well, Odotei is a fine man, a successful businessman but he’s also a bad football administrator.

Why does the Board keep repeating the same things that stagnates the progress of the club?
Between 2010 and 2020, one of the most promising periods fans enjoyed which mirrored a successful future was the Kenichi Yatsuhashi era.

Kenichi was brought by Gerald Ankrah and he became the darling boy of the fans based on his style of play and stupendous comebacks. (The 3-2 win over Inter Allies is still fresh in my mind)

His arrival saw the new Hearts of Oak having a whole Japanese community in the country becoming Hearts fans all of a sudden and I remember these fans could travel in buses to watch Hearts games away from home. And when the game is home, trust the Accra Sports Stadium to be impregnated with the yellow men.

Revenue at the gates were tricking in for the club. Togbe’s financial burden was being mitigated because of Kenichi. The stadium was almost always full during Hearts games and even when Hearts play clubs with no fan base like Bechem United and New Edubiase, trust the stadium to be pregnant with numbers.

Suddenly, the ‘disrespect’ myth started, spearheaded by Odotei-Sowah sweeping through the media like bushfire in the harmattan which eventually saw Kenichi leave.

Gerald Ankrah was pushed out. Joe Addo was sacked. Yaw Preko was forced to resign and eventually Nassamu Yakubu also left.

The Kenichi kingdom was crushed and Hearts had to restart again.

All these were superintended by Odotei-Sowah who is believed to be returning to the club after his political career hit a snag.

After crushing the Kenichi kingdom, Odotei-Sowah brought the worse ever expatriate coach in the history of Hearts of Oak, Sergio Traguil, who was not only tactically myopic but was also a dishonest person.

Odotei-Sowah’s wind around the club in recent times has seen a change in the technical direction of the club already. Edward Odoom relegated to the junior side and Kosta Papic is back! Coming events, they say, cast their shadows.

I’ve seen social media concerns from most of the fans calling on the board not to grant Odotei-Sowah that moment of return but as usual, the board, that has never respected the views of the fans, may not listen.

Before sacking Duncan, fans agitated, called on the board to rescind the decision but the board called their bluff and went ahead to sack him. Same was the Kenichi case, and in the instance of certain players who left the club, supporters opinions were nothing to the board. So there have been instances to claim the board does not respect the views of the fans.

I hold nothing against Odotei-Sowah but I honestly believe he’s not the man to change the fortunes of the club. His era as the leader of the Strategy Committee is enough evidence.

What about his era at King Faisal? Perhaps, Alhaji Grusah can give a testimony.

Hearts needs a young, vibrant, energetic, modern and someone hungry for success to run the club. Someone who believes in the modern trends of communication and someone who believes in proper planning, consistency and the future, to run the club.

I’m not a prophet of doom, but my experience with Hearts of Oak has equipped me with enough knowledge to know what will happen in the club in each passing year.

Note this, and trust me. If Odotei-Sowah eventually becomes the new CEO of the club the new breed of young guys including the Director of Operations – Willem-Alexander Coleman and the one in charge of marketing are likely to resign from their post.

They need like minds to work; someone who believes in modernity and someone who shares in the strategy of using modern trends of branding, to be successful. Sadly, Odotei-Sowah isn’t that type.

The time for Odotei-Sowah is not now. In fact, it’s far gone. Hearts must LIVE again!