Former Hearts of Oak defender, Ibrahim Larry Sumaila has offered solutions on how the club can return to their glory days in continental football.
The Phobians are the most decorated football club in Ghana having won all continental trophies in a space of four years. The Millennium champions won a continental treble in the 2000 seaaon - having lifted the CAF Champions League and the Super Cup in 2001 after annexing the domestic league.
Hearts of Oak, who hold a record number of Ghana FA Cup titles, were crowned champions of the maiden CAF Confederation Cup in 2004 after beating rivals Asante Kotoko over two legs. However their performances in the past few years have not been impressive and Larry Sumaila has offered solutions to how the club can bounce back.
“Hearts of Oak have been struggling of late and all Ghanaians know that, this is due to player and management issue.
“For Hearts of Oak to bounce back to win the league and play in Africa , it will take some time. When you look at clubs from other countries they are able to manage their players, they are able to keep their players for a longer period of time."
“That is why they are able to compete in Africa but when you come to Ghana, the clubs tend to sack players and get rid of players every season.
“So for a (Ghanaian) club to come back and compete in Africa it will take much longer,” Larry Ibrahim Sumaila told Pan-Africa Football.
“When you look at other African teams, they keep their players. The players play four to five years before they let them go. When you come to Ghana, it is not like that. Every season, 11 players go and another player come and so this is the huge problem,” Sumaila added.
Larry played a part in Hearts of Oak’s domestic treble in 2020 and was a member of the squad for the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup the same year. His trophy cabinet includes another FA Cup glory with Hearts of Oak in the 2021/22 season under coach Samuel Boadu.
He left the club and had a stint for one season at fellow Ghana Premier League club and current reigning GPL champions Samartex.
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