Accra Hearts of Oak SC crest

Accra Hearts of Oak SC

The Phobians

League

Ghana Premier League

Founded

1911

City

Accra

Status

Active

21×
League titles
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Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic Ghana football moments with Accra Hearts of Oak SC supporters.

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Founded
1911
Stadium
Accra Sports Stadium
Capacity
40,000
Manager
Aboubakar Ouattara
Chairman
Togbe Afede XIV
Titles
21
CAF CL
1×
Main rival
Asante Kotoko

About the club

Accra Hearts of Oak SC, founded in 1911, is the oldest football club in Ghana and one of the oldest in West Africa. Twenty-one GPL titles, the 2000 CAF Champions League trophy, and a Super Clash rivalry with Asante Kotoko widely rated among Africa's fiercest derbies. The Phobians are Accra's footballing identity in a way few clubs in Africa are tied to their city. Their home in the Accra Sports Stadium is also the ground that witnessed the 2001 stadium disaster, a tragedy that still shapes GPL stadium safety protocol today.

Founded by A group of Accra civic and sporting figures, making Hearts one of the oldest football clubs in West Africa.

"Never Say Die"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
Ghana Premier League 21 2020–21 Second most in Ghanaian football history after Asante Kotoko (per Hearts' own Wikipedia article). Wikipedia's GPL overview lists 20.
CAF Champions League 1 2000 Beat Tunisia's Espérance on penalties
CAF Confederation Cup 1 2004 Beat Asante Kotoko 8–7 on penalties in the final
CAF Super Cup 1 2001 Beat Camerounaise Canon de Yaoundé 2–1 in Cairo
Ghana FA Cup 12 2022 Ghanaian record per Wikipedia

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 2020–21 vs Asante Kotoko · 1 point
    Top scorer: Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (8)
  • 2008–09 vs Asante Kotoko · 3 points
    Top scorer: Prince Sadjeene (12)
  • 2004–05 vs King Faisal · 5 points
    Top scorer: Amankwah Mireku (13)
  • 2001–02 vs Asante Kotoko · 6 points
    Top scorer: Ishmael Addo (18)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 2000
    Hearts 3–1 Espérance (CAF CL final)

    Second-leg victory in Accra sealed Hearts' first CAF Champions League trophy on penalties.

  • 2001
    Hearts 2–1 Canon de Yaoundé

    CAF Super Cup in Cairo — the high-water mark of Hearts' African era.

  • 2004
    Hearts 0–0 Asante Kotoko (agg 1–1, 8–7 pens)

    CAF Confederation Cup final — first African final contested entirely by two clubs from the same country.

  • 2021
    Hearts 1–0 WAFA

    Final-day home win to clinch the 2020–21 GPL title — Hearts' first in 12 years.

Club legends

I
Ishmael Addo
1999–2003

Phobians' 'King of Goals' — 103 goals in 124 appearances; 2000 CAF Champions League winner

C
Charles Asampong Taylor
1999–2005

'64 Battalion' striker of the 2000 CAF Champions League-winning side

B
Bernard Dong Bortey
2001–2012 (intermittent)

Creative winger — multiple GPL titles and CAF honours in the 2000s

M
Mohammed Polo
1970s–1980s

Ghanaian winger — 'Dribbling Magician'; icon of the 1970s Hearts side and 1978 AFCON winner

stadium
Home ground

Accra Sports Stadium

Accra · 40,000 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
local_fire_department
Main rivalry

Super Clash

vs Asante Kotoko

Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko is the defining rivalry of Ghanaian football. The fixture carries Ashanti-vs-coastal tribal and political undertones and regularly fills Baba...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many GPL titles have Hearts of Oak won? add
Accra Hearts of Oak have won 21 Ghana Premier League titles — second only to Asante Kotoko (27) in Ghanaian football history. Their most recent title was the 2020–21 season, clinched on the final matchday by one point from Kotoko.
Where do Hearts of Oak play? add
Hearts of Oak play at Accra Sports Stadium in the city centre, capacity 40,000. The stadium hosts both the Phobians and Black Stars internationals, and was significantly renovated ahead of AFCON 2008.
Who are Hearts of Oak's rivals? add
Asante Kotoko are Hearts' defining rival in a fixture known as the Super Clash — widely considered the biggest club football rivalry in West Africa. The rivalry carries Ashanti-vs-coastal tribal, political and economic undertones on top of the footballing stakes.
Has Hearts of Oak won the CAF Champions League? add
Yes — once, in 2000. Hearts beat Tunisia's Espérance on penalties in the final to become the second Ghanaian club to win Africa's top club trophy, after Asante Kotoko (1970, 1983). The following year they won the CAF Super Cup by beating Cameroon's Canon de Yaoundé 2–1 in Cairo.
Who owns Hearts of Oak? add
Hearts of Oak is majority-owned by Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli Traditional Area, who has been club chairman since 2003. The club's ownership structure is private but Hearts retain a community-stakeholder identity that the traditional Asogli authority actively cultivates.
What does 'Phobians' mean? add
'Phobians' comes from Hearts' official motto, 'Never Say Die', and the idea that the club induces 'phobia' — fear — in its opponents. The nickname dates to the 1950s and is a core part of Hearts' identity, alongside the gold-and-red colour scheme.
How much do Hearts of Oak players earn? add
Hearts of Oak player salaries sit between roughly GHS 7,000 and GHS 30,000 per month for the senior squad, with top earners (including captains and Black Stars internationals) above that range. These are competitive for the Ghana Premier League, though significantly below North and South African club-football wages.

Related

Derby Super Clash (Hearts vs Kotoko) arrow_forward Rival Asante Kotoko arrow_forward League Ghana Premier League arrow_forward Country Football in Ghana arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Kofi Mensah.