Hearts got it all wrong - Captain Amenyedor

Accra, March 4, GNA - Captain Victus Amenyedor (rtd), the player agent named by the management of Hearts as having "kidnapped" Bernard Don Bortey with the intention of taking him to Germany for trials has described the allegation as a baseless ploy aimed at tarnishing his hard earned reputation.

Speaking to the GNA Sports in Accra on Thursday, Captain Amenyedor said he had not under any circumstance asked Bortey to skip camp or training, having in mind that Hearts' important Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League encounter was just on the horizon.

He admitted making some arrangements for the player to travel to Germany for trials with SV Hamburg but said the planned trip had been on the card for almost a month now and Hearts' official were aware of it, so he was surprised by the fuss that was being made at the last minute. Supporting his claims with documents, Captain Amenyador said he had a letter from Germany on February 10, inviting Bortey for a month long trial with HSV Hamburg, with the view of signing him on permanently, based on his performance.

"I sent the letter to the Hearts Secretariat through one Alhaji Quarshie, a chapter's chairman the following day and was told to transcribe the contents which were in German to English which I did and gave it back to them.

"Based on this, Mr. Thomas Okine, Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the club signed a release letter on February 24 giving the player the go ahead to go to Germany from March 8 to 25."

Captain Amenyador said the player then forwarded the release letter to the offices of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for an accompanying letter to the German Embassy for a Visa, and Mr. Kofi Nsaih, the General Secretary of the FA issued the letter on February 26.

"After the Hearts - Olympics match at the Accra sports stadium last Sunday, I told Bortey that his interview at the Germany Embassy had been fixed for last Monday, that was all.

"I have never told the player not to go to camp or skip training and if anything at all, it is he (Bortey) who had made up his mind to go to Germany at all cost."

He said he had made several attempts to get the player to join the Hearts camp but Bortey has categorically refused "and he even told me that if the trip does not go through, he would be prepared to quit the game. "As at now that I am talking to you, I have had threatening calls from the players relatives, warning me not to scamper the trip since the boy's future may hinge on it."

He said he found the statement by Mr. Okine that he was given the go ahead to take the player to Germany only after the second leg of the champions league against Stade Malien as unfortunate since that information was backdated to February 25 and faxed to him on March 1.

Hearts on Wednesday levelled a litany of charges against Captain Amenyedor for unprofessionally luring their players outside the country and consequently advising the relatives of the players to put undue pressure, including insults on the club's officials to transfer them under unfavorable terms.

They cited the case of Laryea Kingston and lately, Emmanuel Osei, a former player of Hearts, who they said, refused to sign a permanent deal with the club on the instructions of the retired army officer. The two players are now playing in Israel and Turkey respectively.