Accra Hearts of Oak board member, Alhaji Braimah Akambi has explained why their former attacker, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh’s contract extension was delayed.
Barnieh, who made the breakthrough to the Phobian club after winning the 2020 U-20 AFCON was expected to extend his stay with the Rainbows following the expiration of his contract in December last year.
Prior to the just ended African Nations Championship, Accra Hearts of Oak announced that the high-flying attacker had extended his contract but after the competition he returned to Ghana to say goodbye to the GPL giants before leaving the shores of Africa to his new club, FC Zurich in Switzerland.
However, Akambi, who brought Barnieh to the club has revealed why the player’s contract extension was delayed.
“We started talking about extension of Barnieh’s contract after their U-20 AFCON in 2020. You know players and the way they behave. The manager [Malik] is a ‘True Phobian’. He even told me apart from God the next thing is Hearts of Oak. He loves the club. Malik was always telling me to calm down about Barnieh. That’s why we also relaxed so whatever he tells me I take it,” Akambi exclusively told Original FM.
“When Barnieh was coming to Hearts of Oak, he had already gone for trials at Asante Kotoko. He was given to King Faisal. King Faisal gave us the release letter but because of the love for Hearts of Oak, Malik told Alhaji that there’s no percentage for him. The manager [Malik] wanted Hearts of Oak to benefit everything and that was what happened. We own hundred percent right of the player but after the conclusion for contract extension about four – five months ago some clauses issues came in. We had to put in a buyout clause and other things. Where from this? That decision was made by Yusif Chibsah but not Malik.
“Malik was sick at that time. He was in USA but he told Chibsah to come with the player. He is also a very close friend of Chibsah. We were prepared for contract extension on that day but when he took the contract he told us to discuss about the clause first. I know this thing happens in Europe and outside Ghana but locally here ‘gradually gradually’…. The moment you put in the clauses it makes it difficult so let’s just go normal. At the end of the day that was what hinched signing of the contract at that time. It became back and forth. I called Malik but he told me to relax but before we realized the time was already up,” Alhaji concluded.
