Story By: Ahashie Judeliver Eli
Chairman of the National Chapters Committee (NCC) of Accra Hearts of Oak, Elvis Herman Hesse, has shed light on the club’s decision to relocate its home matches to Kumasi instead of Cape Coast in a bid to overcome the venue crisis prompted by the closure of the Accra Stadium.
The announcement comes in the wake of the decision of the National Sports Authority (NSA), notifying Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, Accra Lions, and Dreams FC about the imminent closure of the Accra Stadium to regular football activities starting next month.
This directive has left these clubs scrambling for alternative venues for both domestic league fixtures and CAF inter-club competitions.
In an interview with Happy FM, Elvis Herman Hesse explained the rationale behind choosing Kumasi as their new home ground, stating, “The choice of Kumasi will profit the club financially because most of the clubs we are yet to face in the league are in the northern sector which is close to Kumasi. So, that is more of an advantage, and we also have a larger fan base in Kumasi as compared to Cape Coast.”
The decision has raised eyebrows, especially with the highly-anticipated 14th league week fixture between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko scheduled for December 17 in Accra.
The NSA’s move to close the Accra Stadium is part of a strategic shift towards revenue generation from non-sporting activities. This decision, while capitalizing on the facility’s popularity during the festive season, poses a challenge to the traditional use of the stadium for football matches during this period.
The venue is already booked for the Freedom Wave musical show by Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale and the BHIM concert by Stonebwoy, both scheduled for December.
Currently, Hearts of Oak are positioned 9th on the league table with 15 points. Following the recent departure of coach Martinus Koopman, assistant Abdul Rahim Bashiru has been appointed to manage the team temporarily until a permanent appointment is made.