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Aboubakar Ouattara, the coach of Hearts of Oak, has commended his team's commitment, saying it is more than that of the previous campaign.

The Ghana Premier League season has started slowly for the Phobians, but they are starting to find their rhythm as they prepare to play Asante Kotoko in the highly anticipated Super Clash this weekend.

Ouattara had a difficult first season, barely escaping relegation with a victory over Bechem United on the last day, which guaranteed a 14th-place finish.

Speaking to 3Sports before Sunday's match, the coach did, however, express hope, pointing to his players' improved performances and attitude.

"This season, we have faced the challenging games before Kotoko, and we are always motivated. We made it to the hard-to-get-points sites," Ouattara stated.

"We need to play well first and perhaps get the three points or bring one point," he continued, adding that was especially important for me and the other players. And we are still ahead of them now.

With three victories and one draw in their previous four games, Hearts of Oak are in good form going into the match. With 19 points, they are now one point ahead of their rivals Kotoko, who are in seventh position in the league.

Baba Yara Stadium will host the Super Clash on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

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George Afriyie chastises GFA for rehiring Otto Addo.

The reappointment of Otto Addo as Black Stars coach has led former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice president George Afriyie to criticize the current leadership.

Otto Addo was named as the new head trainer for the senior national team after Chris Hughton was fired after the Black Stars lost in the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Ivory Coast.

Addo, 47, agreed to a three-year contract with a two-year extension option.

For the first time in twenty years, though, the former Ghanaian international was unable to lead the Black Stars to a spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition.

Ghana had three points from six games, three draws, and three losses, placing them at the bottom of Group F.

Mr. Afriyie blamed the country's football governing body's leadership for the senior national team's bad performance.

He believes it was a bad idea to rehire Otto Addo after he resigned from his position in 2022.

He told Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM, "I argued against the appointment of Otto Addo before and after the 2022 World Cup because he made it plain that he was coming in for the playoff games against Nigeria."

"I then argued that if we qualify, we will participate in the World Cup. If we qualify, we will then play in the tournament in Ivory Coast during the AFCON qualifiers. We need an experienced coach who can guide the team through all of these games because World Cup qualifiers are coming up after that. However, Otto Addo helped us earn a spot in the 2022 World Cup.

Chris Hughton was appointed as Otto Addo's replacement when he resigned from his position following the World Cup. Since Chris Hughton had more experience than Otto Addo, I think we could have built for the future with him. However, he was fired, and Otto Addo was reappointed.

"The coach who stated he was not prepared to lead the team got reappointed out of all the coaches in the globe. You cannot discount the role that Didi Dramani and George Boateng had in our World Cup qualification when he first hired them as his assistant coaches. However, after they were fired, Otto Addo was given John Paintsil and Fatau Dauda to help him. In my opinion, the GFA made a mistake," he continued.

The GFA's Executive Council members attended a lengthy meeting to examine Otto Addo's technical reports after Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, leaving his future up in the air.