Herbert to succeed Odotei at Hearts?
A former Kumasi Asante Kotoko CEO, Herbert Mensah, is rumoured to be leaning towards Accra Hearts of Oak to be considered as the CEO when Vincent Sowah Odotei quits.
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Odotei is said to be heading towards the exit after he was nominated by President Nana Akufo-Addo for a deputy ministerial position at the Ministry of Communications.
Even before Odotei exits, close allies to the former Kotoko CEO are said to be making overtures for Herbert to be considered for the Hearts top job, and sources say a member of Herbert’s team has contacted Hearts board member, Alhaji Akambi, to start lobbying for the ex-football administrator.
Herbert, who is currently the president of the Ghana Rugby Association (GRA) and recently elected as executive member of the Ghana Olympic Committee, has rubbished the speculation, saying he was never interested in taking over management of Hearts of Oak.
He told the Graphic Sports yesterday that as much as he admired Hearts of Oak as a great club, he had no intention of working for the club, neither had he lobbied anybody to front for him because he was managing a multi million dollar company and could not bet aspiring to take charge of Hearts of Oak.
In 2004, SOS Networx, a company managed by Herbert Mensah, was handed a management consultancy role by Accra Hearts of Oak to recruit and manage a new Technical Director on behalf of the club as well as for technical appraisal and merchandising, among other duties.
However, a board member of Hearts, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, who restrained himself from admitting interest from Herbert, told the Graphic Sports in an interview yesterday that the GRA boss could not be nurturing any such ambitions.
Short of saying that Herbert should stay off Hearts, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said the club had a history where past CEOs had had close links or family linkages with the club and, therefore, hardly anybody outside that could come close to managing the club.
Tracing the root of some recent past CEOs, including Neil Amstrong Mortagbe, Fred Crentsil, Gerald Ankrah, Tommy Okine, Harry Zakkour, Dr Tamakloe explained how they all had their lineage deeply rooted in the club, and anybody from outside would not be welcomed.
Besides, he wondered whether Herbert left any good legacy at his former club that he could point to as his biggest achievement to be considered for the Hearts job.
“Anybody who has once handled the club since 1911 had something to do with the club but I don’t see how Herbert would handle this club because he is not a Hearts man or part of the Hearts family,” Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe opined.
Instead, Dr Tamakloe disclosed that he wouldn’t have any issues with the Host of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Randy Abbey, whose name had come up strongly among certain ranks of the Hearts’ fraternity despite the feat that he was managing another club, Heart of Lions.
Randy Abbey was yet to express an interest in the Hearts job, but the former GFA chairman believed he was ideal for the position because of his roots in the club and deep understanding of the game as well as his suitability to attract sponsors to the club.
