Accra Hearts of Oak SC

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Hearts of Oak Sporting Club
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Full name Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club
Nickname(s) Phobia
Founded 1911
Ground Ohene Djan Stadium,
Accra, Ghana
(Capacity: 40,000)
Chairman Flag of Ghana Steven Akwetey
Manager Flag of Serbia Kosta Papić
League Ghana Premier League
2007/08 Ghana Premier League, 10th
Team colours
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Home colours
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Away colours
For other meanings see Hearts of Oak

Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Hearts of Oak or just Hearts, are an association football club based in Accra, Ghana.

Contents

[edit] History

Hearts have been among Ghana and Africa's pre-eminent clubs since their founding and have been very successful since the formation of a Ghanaian football league in 1956 having collected the league title 19 times. Their great rivals are Asante Kotoko of Kumasi who have been champions 20 times.

[edit] The Early Years

The club was formed in 1911 and was the second team to be founded in Accra after the Invincibles. They are the oldest existing club in Ghana. The club was, in the most part, trained by Ackom Duncan, who would also become the team's first captain. Other members of the fledgling club were J.T. Ankrah (father of Ghana boxing great, Roy Ankrah), and C.B. Nettey, who was later to become the chairman of the Ghana Football Association. The Hearts first match would come on November 11, 1911 against the Invincible.

The Hearts won their first major match in 1922 when Sir Gordon Guggisberg, governor of the Gold Coast, founded the Accra Football League. The Hearts won 6 out of 12 seasons in this league. In 1956 the Hearts joined the Ghanaian football league and have flourished since. Their vice chairman was Mr Robert Hayfron

'stephen appiah

[edit] Tragedy

Hearts suffered a great tragedy on May 9, 2001 when 126 people died in Africa's worst footballing disaster while watching a match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. Trouble started when supporters of Asante Kotoko began ripping out seats in an act of hooliganism in protest at a goal allowed by the referee for Hearts of Oak,which they believe should have been disallowed for offside. Police reacted by firing tear gas into the crowd, it has been suggested that this was an over-reaction. Reports suggest that the gates to the ground were locked and that the rush to escape the tear gas was a contributory factor to the death toll. A commission inquiry strangely failed to indict the hooligans in its report.

[edit] Records

Accra Hearts of Oak have won both major current CAF trophies despite never winning any of the older incarnations of the CAF competitions. They are the only team in Ghana to have won the league on six consecutive occasions (1997-2002) although their rivals Asante Kotoko hold the record for the most overall titles. Hearts were also the team to end Esperance of Tunisia's 41 year long unbeaten home record (in continental competition) with the 2-1 defeat of the Tunis club in 2000.

In 2006 Hearts of Oak earned the unenviable title of becoming the only club in the history of the Champions League to go through the entire group stage without scoring a single goal. Since then, they have failed to make it back to the group stage of the Champions League.

[edit] Honours

2005
2000...Runners-up 1977,1979.
1956, 1958, 1961/62, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1989/90, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004/05, 2006/07
1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1999, 2000
1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985
1974, 1976, 1986, 1998/99
2002, 2006
2002
2001

[edit] Performance in CAF competitions

1998 - Group Stage
1999 - Group Stage
2000 - Champion
2001 - First Round
2002 - First Round
2003 - Second Round
2004 - Third Round
2005 - First Round
2006 - Group Stage
2008 - Preliminary Round
1972: Semi-Final
1974: Quarter-Final
1977: Finalist
1979: Finalist
1980: Quarter-Final
1985: Second Round
1986: Quarter-Final
1991: First Round
2004 - Champion
1993 - Second Round
1982 - Semi-Final
1988 - withdrew in First Round
1990 - Quarter-Final
1995 - Quarter-Final
1997 - Second Round

[edit] Fight song

Arose, Arose, Arose! Be quiet and don't be silly. We are the famous Hearts of Oak...We Never Say Die! Hearts Eleven is a mighty team, Hearts Eleven is a mighty teeeeeaaaaaaaaaam ..... Arose, Arose, Arose! Be quiet and don't be silly. We are the famous Hearts of Oak...We Never Say Die!

[edit] Club motto

Phooobia! Never say die until the bones are rotten.

[edit] Current players - 2008/2009

[edit] Goalkeepers

[edit] Defender

[edit] Midfielders

[edit] Strikers

[edit] Notable Former Players

[edit] Former Head Coaches

[edit] Former Chairmans

  • Samuel Monnie

[edit] External links

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