Soccer News of Tuesday, 18 March 2003

Source: Soccer Express

Hearts accounts frozen

The Ghana League Clubs Association (Ghalca) has confirmed that it has received an orderfrom the Fast Track High Court inhibiting the organisation from making any future payments to Accra Hearts of Oak on the ongoing LG Top Four competition.

The order is a direct fallout of the Hearts of Oak-Mighty Victory legal tussle which has seenthe latter win a decision at the High Court compelling Hearts to pay an amount of $37,500 being the Division One club's share of Stephen Appiah's transfer fees to Italian club, Parma.

Appiah was a player of Mighty victory before his transfer to Hearts. A clause in his contract dictated that Hearts were to pay an agreed percentage of the transfer fee to Mighty Jets but that never materialised.

Ghalca Administrative Manager, Kudjoe Fianoo told the Soccer Express yesterday that his outfit had indeed received the order from the High Court and would adhere strictly to it in order not to incur the displeasure of the court.

The latest action of the court follows the failure of Accra Hearts of Oak to make good the payment after the High Court had ruled in favour of Mighty victory last October.

Mighty victory have now sought the court's intervention to recover the monies owed it plus accrued interest.

Apart from the amount of $37,500 owed Mighty victory, the court also ordered Hearts to pay accrued interest totalling ?168,036,185. Costs of ?8,000,000 were awarded against Hearts.

As we went to press, there were reliable hints that Hearts of Oak were making efforts to make some payments to Mighty Jets before the long arms of the courts catch up with them in order forms.