Assault in Sekondi: Hearts Complain

The Management of Accra Hearts of Oak has appealed to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to investigate the incident in which some officials of the club were physically assaulted by the local fans after their match against Hasaacas at Sekondi in the Western Region on Sunday 21 October 2001.

In a statement signed by the Administrative Manager of the club, Mr Ashford Tettey Oku, Hearts protested against the manner in which fans of Hasaacas physically assaulted officials like Messrs Ernest Quarshie, Ernest Thompson and Harry Zarkkour.

“In fact the whole team which was in a state of shock and fear, had to be kept in a room for sometime to ensure their safety. We have lost our wristwatches and mobile phones whiles that are of a journalist has been destroyed”, the statement stressed.

It said the fans violently demanded or attempted to take the mobile phones of the officials and players. “Our team was saved by the sheer bravado of our supporters as none of the security personnel or even officials of the home team were prepared to stop their barbaric acts”, it explained.

The management of the club further points out that, much as they have tried to control their teeming supporters in the wake of such unnecessary provocations, there would surely be a limit to their patience, and complained that “this is the third season in a row” that they have returned from Sekondi so traumatised after a match.

In a related development, Hearts of Oak’s technical director, Jones Attuquayefio, says that in spite of the club’s demise on Sunday 21 October 2001 at the Gyandu Park in the Western Region, danger still looms ahead for his club in the coming weeks.

He said “Even though we beat Berekum Arsenals 6-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium, they are still a strong side at home, and could create problems for Hearts of Oak. Remember they are among the few clubs who are yet to lose at home, and we have to respect them, and approach the match with more determination”.