CAFCC Final Prelim: “BLACK MAGIC” Fails Hearts of Oak

By Ngome Michael

It has been a 2020/21 football season not short of a turmoil to Ghana Premier League giants Hearts of Oak on the African continent.

The Phobians in two separate attempts to seek a place in either intercontinental club competitions has ended in utter misery.

On both occasions, Hearts have found it hard to design a strategy to subdue “football made in North Africa” despite recording home victories.

As Champions of Ghana, Hearts of Oak came back in the Champions League for the first time since 2015 and drew first blood against Wydad Athletic wining 1# 0 in Accra during the second preliminary.

The 2017 CAF Champions League winners moved the second leg to an unbearable level in Casablanca staging a come back to silence Hearts 6#1, 6#2 on aggregate.

Simon Msuva (2x), Aymane El Hassouni, Achraf Dari, Yahya Jabrane, and Ayoub El Amloud were all on target to deny the Ghanians a CAF Champions League group stage ticket.

The last and final ticket to continue continental football came against debutants, Jeunesse Sportive de la Saoura (Algeria) in the Confederations Cup.

Hearts of Oak gave home fans reasons to believe in them with a 2#0 at home to JS Saoura.

The Algerian did not put it differently to the visiting team, bashing them 4#0. Abdeljalil Saad, Oussama Bellatreche 2X, Aimen Lahmri made it look easy in a controversial game.

Prior to December 5th’s encounter in Alegeria, Samuel Boadu and team were accused of using black magic to gain qualification to the group stage.

JS Saoura endicted Hearts of spraying concoctions which media reports later confirmed to be a mixture of rice and pork on the green turf at the 20 August 1955 Stadium in Béchar a day before the game.

Accusations denied by Hearts of Oak terming it as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the football club which adheres to Sporting standards.

It was under these circumstances that the Ghanian domestic champions were sent back to their domestic League while waiting for another season to prove their might on the continent.