Hearts of Oak reportedly hold discussion to appoint former Asante Kotoko boss Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum as new coach as Slavko Matic official sacking looms
Ghana Premier League outfit Hearts of Oak are on the verge of appointing former Asante Kotoko boss Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum as new head coach as the club prepare officially sack Serbian boss Slavko Matic.
Hearts and Matic are currently in a tussle after being denied access to lead the club in training sessions ahead of their Presidential Cup game and Ghana Premier League Week 20 clash with Asante Kotoko last Sunday.
That’s mainly Matic’s whelm of affairs at the club has been brought under severe scrutiny following Hearts’ poor results in the Ghana Premier League..
Despite a convincing 3-1 win over Berekum Chelsea last two weeks, Hearts lost to city rival Great Olympics in midweek to the Presidential Cup final on Sunday.
Hearts of Oak have since be in plans to fire Matic and such discussions have since been held. According to a report on Kumasi based Radio Station Oyerepa FM, Hearts are ready to make the sacking of Matic official and now former Asante Kotoko boss Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum is the preferred candidate to be appointed as Matic’s replacement.
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) lecturer who has been quite silent in the academic scene seems to have much of his focus shifted to the industrial field since his resignation from Asante Kotoko at the end of last season.
The focus appears to be a smart and fruitful move after GFA appointing the 45-year old as an assistance coach of the Black Galaxies of Ghana. He was on duty when Ghana qualified and reached quarter-finals of the 2023 CHAN tournament in Algeria.
Narteh Ogum was also part of Ghana’s technical team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar but the Black Stars failed to make out of a difficult group consisted of Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.
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Ogum’s prospects push him upward as a future Black Stars boss but may still need more on-the job experience to catch this expectation. Since his departure from Asante Kotoko, he has become one of the sought after coaches for a club level managerial job with Berekum Chelsea, his former side WAFA and Great Olympics reportedly interest in appointing Narteh Ogum next season.
Beside these interests, the two most powerful clubs Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak keen on appointing Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum next term with both clubs’ coaches under uncertain futures.
Kotoko are said to be weighing up options to sack Seydou Zerbo who has guided for poor results and re-appoint Ogum or former Black Stars head coach Akwesi Appiah.
Similarly at Hearts, the Rainbow side have already decided on sacking Matic and appoint Ogum but their board is divided over Ogum’s decision, according to the Oyerepa morning sports report.
The division may be one of the several issues Ogum has faced since his departure from Asante Kotoko, and these matters could affected his job at the Black Galaxies camp.
But a GFA official, Dr Tony Aubynn, has claimed that current issues surrounding coach Prosper Narteh Ogum will not affect his duties with the national team.
“He is a very experienced coach and I don’t think the current brouhaha will affect him or have an impact on him”, Dr Tony Aubynn told Happy FM prior to Ghana’s CHAN Qualifiers against Benin at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.
“The job that I will never take on is coaching. It is a very difficult job. It’s a pressure job and I know Coach Prosper will be able to manage this. From where he has taken Kotoko I know when he leaves the club, he will get more offers from other clubs”, he added.
Dr Tony Aubynn’s comments suggest Prosper Narteh Ogum to be a strong and focused character. And that was evident in his 1-year spell at the 2-time CAF Champions League winners, guiding the club to lift the Ghana Premier League under difficult circumstances including but not limited to more players to work with, doubts about his success at Kotoko and issues about his personality.
