Mas-Ud Dramani speaks after being appointed Hearts of Oak head coach

The newly appointed head coach of Hearts of Oak, Mas Ud Didi Dramani, has expressed his joy at joining the club ahead of next season’s Ghana Premier League campaign.

The experienced trainer signed for the Phobians on a two-year deal, replacing Ivorian tactician Aboubakar Ouattara who steered the club to a fourth place finish last season. Ouattara has been reassigned to the position of Technical Advisor to the board of the club.

Dramani opened up on joining the 2000 CAF Champions League winners during his unveiling at the club’s secretariat in Accra on Monday.

“I’m honoured to also serve in the reigns of Accra Hearts of Oak. I try to understudy the vision of the board which is the direction of the club and try to institute a clear direction with consistency and sustainability,” Didi Dramani told the club’s media.

“I will try to put in place a more progressive approach and so we acknowledge what has been instituted over these years. It is for us to keep the consistency and keep improving structures and more importantly a more comprehensive technical programmes which will improve individuals and also the team.

“I must say that to do this, you need to build a comprehensive technical staff and I have Gazale Abdulai, Najahu Issah, Peter Adu Boafo, Henry Mantey, a whole lot more to come in because we are talking about Accra Hearts of Oak.

Dramani has called on the club’s board to continually support the technical team to help them build a formidable squad.

“I will entreat the board to continuously support the technical staff to build a culture of a winning inhabitants within the club that is part of the process which is going to effect the short to longer term objectives,” he added.

Didi Dramani has established experience on the domestic scene having guided record Ghana Premier League holders Asante Kotoko to two top flight titles. The 59-year-old previously had coaching stints at the famed Ghanaian football academy Right to Dream and Danish Superliga outfit FC Nordsjaelland.

He has served as assistant coach with Ghana’s senior women's national team, the Black Queens, and also led the U-17 girls team, the Black Maidens, to a third place finish at the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan. The Black Maidens defeated Germany in the third place match to win the bronze medal.

Dramani recently served as assistant to Ghana coach Otto Addo at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Black Stars exited at the group stage. He has handled Ghana’s home based senior team, the Black Galaxies, and will now look forward to reviving record Ghana FA Cup holders Hearts who finished in fourth on 58 points in last season’s Premier League.

The 2013/14 Sports Writers Association of Ghana [SWAG] Coach of the Year will be assisted by two new faces, Abdulai Gazale, a former coach of Basake Holy Stars and Najahu Issah formerly of Kotoko will be the goalkeepers’ trainer.