Africa’s Greatest Football Clubs Hearts Of Oak Sc


By Joburg Post

Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club have a habit of upsetting the biggest and most respected clubs. When things get tough and the team is facing tough opponents, the Hearts always rise to the occasion and exceed the expectations of their die-hard fans. Tunisia side Esperance, Zamalek of Egypt and Pele’s Santos have all struggled against Ghana’s oldest team.

Nicknamed Phobia, the feared club has earned their respect worldwide by being consistent achievers in their 107 years of existence. Once ranked as the eighth biggest club in the world by FIFA. Hearts has represented the people of Accra and Ghana with distinction. The club has also supplied the national team with a number of excellent players. Club legend Joe Ghartey was part of the first group of Ghanaian players to win the AFCON in 1963. Ever since, celebrated footballers such as Osei Kofi, Amusa Gbadamosi, Yaw Preko, and Anthony Annan have gone on to write their names in the Black Stars history books. The Hearts have some of the best raw talent within their setup. One of their former players Stephen Appiah went on to achieve greatness in Europe after first starring for Hearts of Oak in his homeland.

Appiah became a fan favourite while in the colours of Italian giants Juventus, his abilities on the ball, confidence, and passing skills set him apart from the rest. The club has also attracted coaches from all corners of the world such as Ernst Middendorp and Kosta Papic who have contributed immensely to the success of the club. The club has become one of the first places where international scouts go to when searching for the best talent on the African continent. In the past, the team sold the likes of Laryea Kingston and Bernard Don Bortey to top European leagues. Despite losing their influential players almost every year, the Hearts have never struggled to blood in new talent in their first team. The club’s matchless scouting network has discovered a number of raw talent around Ghana. The success of the national team can largely be attributed to the Accra based club. Most of their former players earn valuable experiences in Europe, which they then take back to the national team. 

A club all Ghanaians can be proud to call their own, the Accra powerhouses continue to set the bar high on the African continent years after they were first formed. Founded in 1911, they remain the most successful club in the Ghanaian League with multiple league, domestic and continental titles to their name. The Hearts became the first team to lift the CAF Confederations Cup in 2004, adding the prized trophy to their long list of achievements. Four years earlier, they defeated Esperance to win their first continental trophy in the CAF Champions League. The win was followed by another big victory in the CAF Super Cup against Egyptian side Zamalek. Hearts seem to play their best football against other great teams, with their amazing fighting spirit giving them the edge over their opponents. Matches against arch-rivals Asante Kotoko can divide the country. Both clubs enjoy huge support and are seen as the two biggest teams in Ghana.

With passionate fans on both sides, things can easily get out of hand, if something goes wrong. The two giants were involved in one of the most tragic stadium stampedes in the history of football with 127 fans losing their lives. Build-ups to their matches are intense with the football crazy supporters of both sides backing their teams to win the much-anticipated encounters.  The Hearts fans can easily be spotted in their rainbow colours of yellow, red and blue across Accra on match days. Hearts of Oak have gotten the better of their rivals in recent matches, recording a 1-nil win and a draw in the last two encounters between the two giants. If beating big clubs was not enough, the Hearts can definitely be proud of the number of players they have produced for the European market, national team and overall contribution to the growth of football in Ghana.   

-JP  

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