Former Hearts of Oak Coach Martin Koopman reveals rift with board over player selection

Former Hearts of Oak coach Martin Koopman has disclosed some challenges he faced with the club’s board during his tenure.

The 67-year-old Dutch trainer, released by the Ghanaian giants due to a challenging start to the 2023–24 season, discussed the rift in an interview with GhanaSportsPage.com.

Koopman expressed frustration over instructions not to use key players, citing a lack of trust in their abilities.

“There are seven players they told me not to use in the competition. It was a day before our opening game.

“They named three players, but they later changed it to seven players (Annan, Korsah, Esso, Albert Eonde, Salifu, Seidu, and Attah). They told me not to use them because they don’t believe them and they cannot help me in the competition,” Koopman said.

Despite these directives, Koopman fielded the players based on their performances in training and past matches.

Disappointed with the board’s decision to sideline players, Koopman ended his association with the club.

His tenure, which began in August, saw limited success, with only two wins and six goals scored in 10 Ghana Premier League matches.

Hearts of Oak are yet to appoint a new head coach and have been recently knocked out of the MTN FA Cup by division one side Nania FC.