Accra Hearts of Oak have protested against Oman Fofor Company Limited and the Ghana Breweries Limited (GBL) for associating their brands with the club without their permission.

The two respectively placed adverts in the Daily Graphic days before Hearts’ first leg Champions League final with Esperance in Tunisia, even though they were not sponsors of the club.

In separate protest letters to the companies and signed by the club’s board chairman, Ato Ahwoi, Hearts condemned Oman Fofor and GBL for linking the success of the club to the marketing of their products.

“The said advert, to all intents and purposes, is unprofessional in so far as it does link the marketing of your product to the success of our team so far in the Africa Champions Club Competition when your company is not one of our sponsors,” the statement said.

“We do not have any objection to your company congratulating our club, but you would agree with us that such an act would have to conform to the ethics of marketing and should also not incur the displeasure of our real sponsors,” the club added.

The Phobians noted the embarrassment caused them and their sponsors by the said advert and called for an unqualified apology and compensatory damages within three days.