Charles Taylor unfairly treated - Hearts

The management of champion club, Accra Hearts of Oak, has expressed grave concern on the dropping of their ace player and the nation’s local best for 2001 season, Charles Taylor, from the nation’s contingent to the Cup of Nation’s tournament in 2002.

A release from the club signed by the club’s board secretary Ernest Thompson said, the injuries meted to Taylor, voted the nation’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ on the local front, by being dropped is just too much, if it is not a case of injury or extreme indiscipline. The statement suggested that Taylor could at least have been taken along to watch the tournament as was the case of Yaw Sakyi in an apparent reference to the Burkina Faso competition four years ago. Below is the full text from Hearts.

“There are times when as an official of a football club you cannot help but be drawn into the arena of conflict. Debarring injury or extreme acts of indiscipline, one cannot fathom the reason for dropping a treasured player like Charles Taylor.

Nobody can assume the role of the selector of players to the national team but we do have at least, a moral right, to comment on same. Even a cursory glance of the list of the midfielders by any astute follower of the of the game in Ghana and abroad, would reveal that Charles Taylor is at least a better offensive and even defensive midfielder than at least one of them.

To be blunt, our players have complained bitterly to us about the attitude of the coach to them. We spoke to them in Egypt and that was their major concern. I was directed by the Board Chairman to discuss the issue with the national coach. I called him (Mr Osam Duodu) and was supposed to meet him the morning of the day the final list was to be announced.

The idea was simply to find out whether our players had misconducted themselves. Fortunately, Mr Harry Zakkour was in my office that morning and he also called the Coach, who assured him that we should discard rumours about our players.

Definitely, nobody is requesting that all our players should be selected, but to drop Charles Taylor is certainly too much. I know Stephen Appiah would not make it, though I know it was not due to sheer injury as being propounded but other factors, but in the absence of Stephen, who apart from Charles Taylor has the same flair?

Charles Taylor has been dropped from the Under 23 because of the Black Stars only to be shattered without any official concrete excuse being given except general phrases like indiscipline or injury being rumoured about.

There comes a time we need to speak for these boys. At least we could take him along to watch the tournament. I remember vividly the case of Yaw Sakyi and others. Abedi Pele, I believe knows much about that particular African Cup.

The injuries meted to Charles Taylor is just too much, if it is not a case of injury or extreme indiscipline.”