Commodore says repackaging of Hearts is his priority

Accra, Dec 7, GNA - Repacking Accra Hearts of Oak and lifting its image to greater heights both on and off the field are the priorities of Mr Commodore Mensah, Chairman elect, of the newly constituted Board of Directors of the club has stated on Wednesday. Commodore Mensah said he reckons winning the trust of the supporters remain a crucial tool in the repackaging and as well as turning the current unattractive fortunes of the winners of the 2000 CAF Champions League competition around to greater heights are his goals. The 58-year old chairman told the GNA Sports that redesigning Hearts attractively to ensure they win the trust and confidence of the supporters' ranks first on his plans for the Phobians.

The Chairman said in that quest, his outfit would soon set up a committee to be tasked with fashioning out a feasible plan that would target the supporters to contribute towards the club's upliftment. Mr. Mensah said he also envisages a frequent information flow; building a transparent administration and strengthening the tools of communications as the strategies to win the trust and confidence of the supporters. The buoyant Chairman predicts that a resourceful Hearts should make followers appreciate the need to invest in the Club in their quest to transfer their enviable status record on the field to reflect on other areas such as infrastructural development.

Hearts currently are indebted to the tune of seven billion cedis, but the Chairman said he believes servicing that mountainous debt is a mission that will be possible with the right approach. "Supposing our supporters are made up of 100,000 people and each individual makes a contribution of 100 thousand cedis, we can raise about 10 billion cedis, which means we can service that debt and have extra to cater for other financial commitments".

Mr. Mensah last week won 16 of the 22 votes to beat former Chief Executive, Harry Zakour to the Chairmanship position for a four-year mandate. The Chairman-elect's first call to the Hearts Board was in 1985, under the H.P Nyametei administration and worked with the Harry Sawyer administration for a spell before heading the Board in 89.

Mr. Mensah took a long break as an administrator until his appointment as the Chief Executive in 1995 and is credited with winning the team's first premiership title two years simultaneously since the elite division was introduced in 1993. He however resigned in that capacity after the 1997 glory but was reengaged three years after as Chairman of the Planning Committee of the team's continental campaign where Hearts made history by annexing both the Champions League and the Super Cup with a superlative run underscoring their "Continental Club Masters" accolade.