Fight in VVIP box, Boadu mobbed: How off-field issues dominated Hearts of Oak's game against AS Bamako

The event on Sunday, October 16, 2022, at the Accra Sports Stadium was a clear picture of a man who is loved by the masses but hated by the selected few as Samuel Boadu became the shining light amid attacks on the Hearts board for his dismissal. On a day that Hearts of Oak needed a statement win to turn their season around, the sacked Samuel Boadu entered the Accra Sports Stadium like Jesus entering Jerusalem with appellations and cheers flowing from all angles of the stadium to his direction. Accra Hearts of Oak were going into their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary second-round game against Real Bamako of Mali with the hopes of overturning the 3-0 defeat they suffered in the first leg. The Phobians were hoping for another miracle as they are known for that in the history of the CAF Inter-Club competitions but interim coach David Ocloo and his men were not up to the task. The Malians were very solid in defense as they prevented Accra Hearts of Oak from getting an early goal in both the first and second half, thus making sure that the Phobians could not muster any proper comeback. Real Bamako had a handful of chances in the game but they were wasteful. However, with just a minute to stoppage time, Caleb Amankwah scored a beautiful volley to win the game for Hearts of Oak but it was not enough to secure qualification as the Malians progressed to the next stage of the competition. Fight in the VVIP box The frustrations during the game resulted in a fight between two Accra Hearts of Oak Board Members and they had to be separated by other officials around in the VVIP box. In the VVIP area, the National Chapters Committee chairman of the club, Elvis Herman Hesse was seen confronting Board Member, Vincent Sowah Odotei in a video that has since gone viral and sighted by GhanaWeb. It is unknown what triggered the disagreement and the exchange of words in the VVIP area but it appears that Herman Hesse was not happy about something. Samuel Boadu mobbed after the game: The biggest highlight of the day was the moment when former Accra Hearts of Oak coach, Samuel Boadu was heavily mobbed when he was making his way out of the stadium after the game. Samuel Boadu was cheered before the game when he entered the stadium but perhaps the top hierarchy of the club never anticipated that the cheers can continue even without qualification. The fans carried Samuel Boadu while chanting his name and singing the coach's favorite "shower us with blessings" song. Attack on Board Members Odotei and Akambi hostage: While Samuel Boadu was being mobbed, others also turned their attention to two Board Members, Vincent Odotei Sowah and Alhaji Akambi whom they believe are the root cause of the problems in the club. The Police were given a tough task as they had to tighten security on the two officials who were held hostage by the rampaging Hearts fans who wanted to get their pound of flesh on the two men. The fans accused them of running the club down with their backward approach and engineering the sacking of their favorite Samuel Boadu just three matches into the season. The Phobians also deflated Vincent Odotei Sowah's car tyre in an attempt to show how frustrated they were about the current state of their club. Watch this week's episode of GhanaWeb Sports Debate below: