Why we ignored Ghanaian coaches to appoint Aboubakar Ouattara – Alhaji Akambi explains

Accra Hearts of Oak board member Alhaji Akambi has explained that the club appointed Ivorian manager Aboubakar Ouattara because of Champions League ambitions.

According to Akambi, Hearts sim at returning to the summit of African football and thus needed a manager who has aligned with the club’s vision.

He said Ouattara’ rich CV of winning CAF Champions League earned him the job.

“There are a lot of things a team will look at before appointing a coach. Ghanaian coaches are equally good coaches, but they’re a lot of philosophies and other things we considered. Looking at our idea of taking Hearts of Oak to the days where we conquered Africa, we needed a coach who had that experience. If you look at Ouattara, he has coached a lot of clubs in Africa and has won Champions League. When we played against WAC, he was with them. So he has the things we needed,” he told Richard Ntow Gyan on Fox FM in Kumasi.

Hearts of Oak announced the appointment of Aboubakar Ouattara as the new head coach on February 9, 2024.

Ouattara has a very pleasing résumé having worked with Wydad Athletic Club and TP Mazembe.He worked as technical director at both clubs and ensured that the two teams won the CAF Champions League during his time. 

He also coached Asante Kotoko between 1995 and 1999 under Dr Kankam and Herbert Mensah, respectively.

He holds a CAF license A certificate and looks like the right man to turn the corner for Hearts of Oak, who have had a challenging 2023/2024 Ghana Premier League season.