Former Head coach of Accra Hearts of Oak manager, Martin Koopman, has revealed some challenges he faced with the board of the club during his period steering the affairs of the team.
The 67-year-old Dutch gaffer who got released by the Ghanaian giants due to a poor run of form in the Ghana Premier League discussed the rift in an interview. Koopman expressed frustration over instructions not to use key players, citing a lack of trust in their abilities on the field of play.
Martin Koopman clearly mentioned that Hearts of Oak is no more a big club in Ghana and that the Phobians only hold high status on paper. According to him, the club has currently lost its status due to recent mismanagement by the board.
“They think they are the best club in Ghana. On paper yes, but that’s not true. We had a young team and no experience…Actually, we missed balance in our team. We had a very good defense, a very good midfield but we missed strikers and wingers.”
“Every time I said that everybody was not happy but it was the truth. And it’s not easy to tell the truth against the board and against the fans but that was the reality at the moment for Hearts of Oak.”
The Dutch trainer explained that he was told not to employ certain players after his arrival, which infuriated and irritated him. This startling discovery was revealed by the gaffer during the interview on Saturday.
“There are seven players they told me not to use in the competition. It was a day before our opening game. They named three players but they later changed it to seven players (Annan, Korsah, Esso, Albert Eonde, Salifu, Seidu, and Attah). They told me not to use them because they don’t believe in them and they cannot help me in the competition,” Koopman told Ghanasportspage.com.
Despite these directives, Martinus Koopman fielded the players based on their performances in training and past matches in the league and the pre season.
“I used them because they have the qualities and they performed very well during our training and in our matches. Can you imagine, Salifu who was the best player in the league some years ago, they said I cannot use him anymore? I was very angry and that was the end of my relationship with the board.”
According to the Dutch coach , he asserts he was never appreciated by the board members and has since not received a goodbye message or a call from them including the board chairman, Togbe Afede.
“Can you imagine that after receiving the message on 11th November, none of the members has sent me a goodbye, thank you or meeting each other for a dinner and thank you for the four months that [I] worked with [them]? Nobody called me, including Togbe. It’s a very bad situation,” he said.
“I am very angry but I’m still the best coach for Hearts of Oak and the fans will know it very soon,” he continued.
In conclusion , Koopman believes he is the right person for the job.
“I’m very emotional now because I was the best coach for this team. People are even calling me to come back. Some are saying I am the father of the club. [They] learned so much from [me]. Actually, the board and the fans don’t know me and what I did for the players. I’m very sad and it’s a very bad situation if the board can sideline seven [good] players. I was very good with these players,” he ended.
The Dutch coach left Hearts of Oak after just two wins in the Ghana Premier League and 12 points out of a possible 30 after just three months in charge.
In the ongoing Ghana Premier, he was the first coach to be fired, followed by Michael Osei and Coach Frimpong Manso.
Hearts of Oak, who have not yet named a new head coach, were recently eliminated from the MTN FA Cup by division one team, Nania FC and faced an away loss to Aduana Stars in Dormaa.
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Story by: Asack Pius | univers.ug.edu.gh
