Didi Dramani begins 2-year tenure at Hearts of Oak
The newly appointed head coach of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, officially took charge of his first training session with the team yesterday, calling on them to ensure discipline and a good attitude towards the job at hand.
The club announced last week that it had signed a two-year deal with the two-time Premier League-winning coach as they look to rebuild and compete strongly in the upcoming football season.
In line with this, Coach Dramani hit the ground running yesterday, training with the full complement of the team, including players who went out on loan during the just-ended season.
A source close to the team told this paper that Coach Dramani has asked the club to suspend plans to sell or sack players, as he wants to comprehensively evaluate every player before a decision is made.
“Coach Dramani has requested two weeks to train with the full squad and get a fair idea of what everyone is made of before making decisions on who stays or goes,” the source said.
He has made some recommendations, including player purchases, to the club, which is currently being worked on.
Aside the announcement of the head coach, the club is working on a clear plan before proceeding with the announcement of his backroom staff.
This includes former Basake Holy Stars head coach Abdulai Gazale and former Golden Kick FC head coach Fiifi Parker Hanson as his assistants, along with former Black Stars goalkeeper trainer Najawu Issah as his goalkeeping trainer. Former Black Stars welfare officer Henry Martey will take charge as team manager.
Also expected to join the new technical team are a video analyst, a psychologist, and a dietitian.
Coach Dramani’s first assignment with the Phobians will be the upcoming President’s Cup on July 6 against his former club Asante Kotoko and the Eko International Cup (EIC) at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria.
At 59, the former Tamale Hearts Babies player arrives at the Rainbow Club after having previously coached clubs such as Real Tamale United, Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs, Guan United, Right To Dream Academy, Asante Kotoko, and Danish side FC Nordsjaelland.
He has also held roles at the national team level, including head coach of the Black Maidens, Black Queens, and Black Galaxies, as well as assistant coach of the Black Stars.
Information picked up from within the club suggests that they are looking to reassign former head coach Aboubakar Ouattara, who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Hearts in February 2024.
According to the information, that position would not be a technical role.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
