• Gladson Awako joined Hearts of Oak from Great Olympics for a fee worth GH₵100,000
• Awako is yet to play for the GPL champions as he has not been training with the Phobians
Veteran Ghanaian football administrator, Jonathan Abbey Pobee, has added his voice to the controversy between Great Olympics and Accra Hearts of Oak concerning the transfer of Gladson Awako.
Gladson Awako left Accra Great Olympics to join city rivals Hearts of Oak before the start of the 2021/2022 Ghana football season in a deal reported to be worth GH₵100,000.
But the Black Stars midfielder is yet to kick a ball for the Ghana Premier League champions and have reportedly left the camp of Accra Hearts of Oak with reasons best known to him.
Hearts of Oak deposited GH₵50,000 out of the total transfer fee per the agreement between the two clubs and were supposed to pay the balance by October 2, 2021, but failed to honour that contractual agreement and Olympics is bent on taking action against the Phobians.
Olympics have however petitioned the Player Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association to enable them to register Gladson Awako by giving them special dispensation due to Hearts’ refusal to pay the balance of the transfer money.
But Mr. Abbey Pobee has said that Great Olympics doesn’t have a strong case against the Ghana Premier League captain.
“Olympics have no case as far as Awako’s transfer saga is concerned. It cannot be possible because he had already committed by signing a contract to play for Accra Hearts of Oak,” he told Graphic Sports in an interview.
He added that Hearts of Oak have every right to refuse to pay the balance of the transfer fee to Olympics because Gladson Awako has refused to fulfil his end of the bargain.
“Why should Hearts of Oak pay the additional GH₵50,000 when the player they are seeking has refused to train or provide the services they required from him?”
“Although that clause of paying the GH₵50,000 on a particular date was in the contract, per FIFA regulations, transfer of players has three key parties, if the player fails to fulfil his obligations as far as the contract is concerned, Olympics cannot enforce the details of the contract as they are claiming.”
Also, watch this week's episode of the Friday debate on GhanaWeb TV with Joel Eshun in the post below:
