The 2017/18 pre-season preparations of Accra Hearts of Oak is in a huge mess.
The Phobians finished third in the Ghana Premier League last season and were losing finalists in the MTN FA Cup but the pre-season of the Continental Club Masters ahead of the new football season is in total disorder with less then five players reporting for training sessions.
Head coach Frank Nuttall has also not arrived yet after leaving for holidays at end of last season.
“So far four players report for pre-season training. When they come they just jog and then go home,” assistant coach Henry Wellington said on Asempa FM.
“It worries me that the players have refused to report for training because the same thing happened last season and it affected us negatively,” he added.
According to the assistant coach, the Scottish trainer hasn’t communicated any pre-season plan to him, making things the more complicated for the Ghanaian giants who have not won a major trophy since 2009.
Majority of the players who have not reported were demanding for the settlements of unpaid bonuses and salaries before they start business ahead of the upcoming season.
This comes as no surprise. In the last few seasons , the management inefficiency of Hearts of Oak is well documented. Delayed salaries, player contract issues amongst others have become an everyday headache for the club.
Meanwhile, the Phobians have a Decemeber 24 date with arch-rivals Asante Kotoko in Kumasi for the second leg of the Ghana 60 Years on Anniversary Cup tie.
