Accra Hearts of Oak SC

Football club infobox
clubname = Hearts of Oak Sporting Club


fullname = Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club
nickname = Phobia
founded = 1911
ground = Ohene Djan Stadium‎, Accra, Ghana
capacity = 40,000 | chairman = Flagicon|GHA Steven Akwetey
manager = Flagicon|ISR Eyal Lahman
league = Ghana Premier League
season = 2006/07
position = Ghana Premier League, "1st"
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leftarm1=FFFF00|body1=FFFF00|rightarm1=FFFF00|shorts1=FFFF00|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
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:"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.

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.

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 Invincibles.

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

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 controversial goal allowed by the referee to the Hearts of Oak side, despite the linesman raised the flag to signal an 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 in the death toll.

Enviable Record

Accra Hearts of Oak won all major trophies (two domestic and two continental),the only team in Ghana to have won the leauge on six consecutive occasions (1997/97-2002) and also the team to end Esperence of Tunisia's 41 years home invincibilty with the 2-1 defeat of the Tunis club in 2000.

Honours

*CAF Confederation Cup: 1::2005

*CAF Champions League: 1::2000...Runners-up 1977,1979.
*Ghanaian League Champions: 19:: 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

*Ghanaian FA Cup: 9:: 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1999, 2000

*Ghana SWAG Cup: 7:: 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985

*Ghana Telecom Gala: 4:: 1974, 1976, 1986, 1998/99

*Ghana Top Four Cup: 2:: 2002, 2006

*PLB Special Knock-out: 1

*Ghana Annual Republic Day Cup: 1:: 2002

*African Super Cup Champions: 1::2001The Club » Club Awards Year Title Award 2001 3rd Place - Vodacom Cup (RSA) Vodacom Cup (RSA) ABC Premier League Champions League Cup 2000 Chairman of the Year - Harry Zakour Chairman Of The Year SWAG Club of the Year Swag Club Of The Year African Super Cup African Super Cup CNNSI' 8th World Best Club CNNSI' 8th World Best Club Champion of Champions Cup Champions Cup FA Cup Champions FA Cup ABC Premier League Champions League Cup CAF Champions League African Champions League 1999 Guinness Gala Lords Gala Cup ABC Premier League Champions League Cup 1998 Joe Fameyeh- SWAG Goalking Swag Goalking Joe Fameyeh-ABC Goalking ABC Goalking Joe Fameyeh-ABC Footballer of the year Footballer Of The Year ABC Super Champion of Champions Championship Cup ABC League Champions League Cup June 4th Anniversary Cup Anniversary Cup Indece Cup(6th March-All Blacks) Indece Cup 1997 King Tackie Tawiah I Memorial Cup Memorial Cup Champion of Champions Championship Cup National Indece Cup (Dwarfs) Indece Cup National Indece Cup(Kotoko) Indece Cup League Cup League Cup 1996 League Champions League Cup National Independence Cup Independence Cup Super Championship Cup Championship Cup 1994 Enyidado Top 8 Cup Top 8 Cup Super Championship Championship Cup Knock-out Cup Knock-out Cup UN Peace Cup UN Peace Cup Olympic Games Fund Raising Cup Fund Raising Cup 1993 Top 8 Trophy Trophy 1991 May Day Cup May Day Cup Republic Day Cup Republic Day Cup 1989 Shamo Quaye - most promising player Most Promising Player June 4th Anniversary Cup OAU 25th Anniversary Cup Anniversary Cup 1988 UN Peace Cup UN Peace Cup Rank Xerox Cup Rank Xerox Cup Presec Golden Jubilee Cup Golden Jubilee Cup 1987 Ohene Djan Cup Ohene Djan Cup J.S.S Cup J.S.S Cup Rank Xerox Cup (OGLCA) Rank Xerox Cup 1986 31st December Cup 31st December Cup 1985 Swag Cup Swag Cup Ghana/Togo Inter Clubs Cup (for L & FA Champs of b Inter Clubs Cup Guinness Gala Guinness Gala 1984 Most promising star- E.Acquah Most Promising Star Club of the year Club Of The Year Defender of the year-M.O.Mensah Defender Of The Year Footballer of the year-Joe Odoi Footballer Of The Ye Thomas Sankara Cup (rep the nation) Thomas Sankara Cup K.L.M. Anniversary Cup Anniversary Cup Pres. Saika Stevens Cup (rep the nation) Pres. Saika Stevens Swag Cup Swag Cup 1983 Hesse Odamtten-Defender of the year Defender Of The Year 1979 L & FA Cup were both won for keeps L&FA Cup Chairman of the year- T.Thompson Chairman Of The Year Top Scoring Club of the year Top Scoring Club Footballer of the year -J.N.Yawson Footballer Of The Year Defender of the tear - S. Suppey Defender Of The Year Swag Cup Swag Cup 1977 Swag (Chairman of the year-T.Thompson) Swag Cup 1976 Guinness Gala Gala Cup 1975 Swag Cup (Footballer of the year-M.A.Polo) Swag Cup 1974 Guinness Gala Cup (1st ever) Gala Cup Swag Cup (Goal King-P.Lamptey) Swag Cup Ga Mantse Gold Cup Gold Cup 1973 Swag Cup - Ga Mantse Gold Cup Swag Cup 1968 Middle East Trophy Trophy 1967 United Nations Peace Cup Peace Cup 1966 Maurice Yameogo Cup (U.Volta) Yameogo Cup 1963 Congo Indece Cup (Represented Ghana) Indece Cup 1962 Uganda Indece Cup (Represented Ghana) Indece Cup 1958 Tate and Lyle trophy Trophy 1953 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield 1939 Spit Fire Trophy Trophy 1935 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield 1933 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield 1929 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield 1927 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield 1925 Sir Gordon Guggisberg shield Shield

Performance in CAF competitions

*CAF Champions League: 10 appearances::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

* African Cup of Champions Clubs: 8 appearances::1972: Semi-Final::1974: Quarter-Final::1977: "Finalist"::1979: "Finalist"::1980: Quarter-Final::1985: Second Round::1986: Quarter-Final::1991: First Round

*CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance::2004 - Champion

*CAF Cup: 1 appearance::1993 - Second Round

*CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 5 appearances::1982 - Semi-Final::1988 - withdrew in First Round::1990 - Quarter-Final::1995 - Quarter-Final::1997 - Second Round

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!

Club motto

Phooobia! Never say die until the bones are rotten.

Current players - 2007/2008

Goalkeepers

*Laud Quartey
*Abubakar Suleman
*Mohammed Sannie
*Collins Addo

Defender

*Emmanuel Tetteh
*Charles Vardis
*Thomas Mensah
*Mohammed Hassan
*Michael Donkor
*Kwabena Boafo(C)
*Daniel Coleman
*Paddy Annars
*Stephen Offei

Midfielders

*Francis 'Jojo' Bosman
*Joseph Tachie-Mensah
*Eric Nyarko
*Kofi Abanga
*Obed Ansah
*Godwin Yeboah
*Michael Asante
*Edward Adjaglo
*Ohene Addo
*Bernard Dong Bortey
*Raphael Obeng
*Ablade Morgan

Strikers

*Ekow Ghansah
*Ishmael Addo
*Charles Asampong Taylor
*Ebo Sam
*Gado Mohammed
*Samuel Affum
*Gashir Akuffo
*Ekow Ghansah
*Eric Gawu
*Ernest Okyere

Notable Former Player

* Wisdom Abbey
* Harrison Acquah
* Henry Acquah
* Lawrence Adjei
* Sammy Adjei
* Ishmael Addo
* Joe Addo
* Edward Agyemang-Duah
* Louis Agyemang
* Adnan Ali
* Yaw Amankwah Mireku
* Anthony Annan
* Stephen Appiah
* Eben Dida Armah
* Sola Ayew
* Owusu Benson
* James Boateng
* Francis Bossman
* Edmund Copson
* Michael Donkor
* George Eranio
* Joe Fameyeh
* Samuel Johnson
* Abubakari Kankani
* Laryea Kingston
* Emmanuel Osei Kuffour
* Peter Lamptey
* Alfred Nii Larbi
* Issah Mohammed
* Ablade Morgan
* Richard Naawu
* Jacob Nettey
* Solomon Okutu
* Dan Oppong
* Emmanuel Osei
* Yaw Preko
* Eric Quarshie
* Abdullah Quaye
* Daniel Quaye
* Shamo Quaye
* Christian Saba
* Abdul Samed
* Prince Tagoe
* Adjah Tetteh
* Emmanuel Tetteh
* Stephen Tetteh
* Anthony Tieku

Former Head Coaches

* Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio

External links

* [http://www.accraheartsofoak.com/ Official site]
*http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/africa/05/10/stadium.stampede.03