“We never influenced Samuel Boadu’s selection” – Under-pressure Hearts of Oak board member speaks

Accra Hearts of Oak board member, Hon. Vincent Sowah Odotei has said the management never influenced Samuel Boadu’s selection.

Several Hearts of Oak fans hold a notion that the board members, particularly Vincent Sowah Odotei and Alhaji Akanbi have a say in the players’ selections during Samuel Boadu’s time but the former Managing Director of the club has denied those assertions.

The fans believed Samuel Boadu who was sacked by the club’s management was possessed to select players.

But Vincent Sowah Odotei in an interview with Original FM after the sacking of the young gaffer has categorically stated that they’ve never influenced a player selection for the coach.

“In 2021/22 season, the players we signed, we got Gladson Awako, Salim Adams, Abu Ushau, Agyenim Boateng, Kofi Kordzi, Enoch Asubonteng, Suraj Seidu and others. All these that I have picked the recommendation came from Coach Boadu apart from Kofi Kordzi and Suraj. Kofi Kordzi after the 2021 FA Cup, we had six days to register for Africa if you could remember. We played the game on Tuesday and after that the coach went for his wedding. And then Amankwa Baafi came but we were communicating with him. He recommended these players. Kofi Kordzi was our own player and at that time he wanted us to sign Diawisie Taylor or Kwame Peprah. We couldn’t sign them because they left the country. Kofi Kordzi was our striker who went and came back. We had six days to register so we pushed him. At that time who brought Asubonteng also brought this same Konadu if you could remember. After completing everything they told us that they have a striker who has played in Belgium before. That’s the players who had to play in the thirty. There were other players who were registered because of the plus ten.

“Now in Ghana you can register thirty players and plus additional ten junior players. So why Odotei and Akanbi? Yes, I negotiate the contracts. I won’t hide it because contract negotiations is a technical thing. If you could remember, we had a problem with Ovouka when he had to go. At that time people were saying the contract they negotiated was poor. So these players were brought by coach Boadu. I didn’t know Agyenim Boateng, I didn’t know Abu Ushau. He wanted Awako. He recommended them. On Asubonteng he was recommended to us when we played our last match that season against WAFA. Coach Boadu never share his selections before matches with me and Alhaji Akanbi.

“We never influenced his selections. How can I tell you the player to use if you don’t share your selections with me. If I know the players how can I come and call you and say fix this boy. I don’t have any favorite in the players, I don’t have any relationship with them. Alhaji Akanbi has no special relationship with anybody. They are saying all these because Togbe is working with me and Akanbi. I hope you understand what am saying and the people who don’t have influence. We also feel to be talking and we are quite. I don’t have any favorite in the team at all. I don’t manage any player. Same as Akanbi,” Sowah Odotei stated.

Sowah-Odotei, popularly known as Obama was the CEO of the Accra club in the mid 2000s but left to continue his football exploration at Kumasi-based King Faisal until a fall out with the President of the club Alhaji Grusah saw him out of the game for some time before he rejoined the Raibows as their board member in 2015.