The Ghanaian sports media space was over the weekend dominated by three stories. The impending return of Milovan Rajevac as Black Stars coach, Hearts of Oak’s victory over CI Kamsar and Gladson Awako’s conflicting stories.
Initial reports
The story broke ahead of Hearts of Oak’s match with Kamsar with speculations rife that Awako has terminated his deal with the Phobian’s barely a month after he crossed carpet from rivals Accra Great Olympics.
The reports ruled him out of Sunday’s game against Kamsar and stated that Awako was never going to wear the Hearts of Oak jersey again.
The reason for this shocking move was that Awako had allegedly been having nightmares since moving from Great Olympics and felt it will be unwise to play for his boyhood club.
Contract termination rumors denied unofficially
Amid the controversies, a section of the sports media began to speculate that whereas it is true that Awako had not been training with Hearts for some days and consequently ruled out of their game against Kamsar, it was wrong to state that he is completely out of the Hearts team.
The speculations opined that Awako who had been unwell for some time was granted permission by the management of Hearts of Oak to undergo treatment at home.
Samuel Boadu addresses issue after 2-0 victor over Kamsar
Despite missing the services of Awako, Accra Hearts of Oak still managed a 2-0 victory over Kamsar at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The question came up in Samuel Boadu’s post-match press conferences and he disclosed that Awako has received special dispensation to recover and that the club will be expecting him to join his colleagues once fit.
“Awako isn’t part of the team for some time now due to sickness, he has sought permission to go for treatment and going forward, we’re hoping to see him back to the team soon in the upcoming games. As a technical man, I don’t know where that news is coming from that Awako has quit Accra Hearts of Oak,” he said.
Awako’s agent breaks silence
The likelihood of Awako not making any appearance for Hearts of Oak is one that Hearts fans should anticipate, his agent Yusif Chibsah has said.
Without giving much details about the situation, Chibsah said his outfit was working with Hearts of Oak to find a solution that suits all parties.
“Hearts of Oak gave Awako permission to hold personal training. We won’t address issues in public. It has nothing to do with financial obligations. Hearts paid everything to the player.
“It’s likely he may play or may not play for Hearts but we have to meet the club to discuss his future.” Hearts of Oak issue statement
On Tuesday, September 21 2021, Accra Hearts of Oak issued a statement addressing the situation. The league champions confirmed that Awako continues to be a member of the team and that they expect him to rejoin the squad when fit.
"Our recent signing, Gladson Awako, has experienced some personal difficulties that have prevented him from playing football and starting for Hearts of Oak so far," wrote the club.
"The club expects him to sort out those difficulties soon so that he can rejoin his colleagues and resume playing football," the letter signed by Hearts of Oak's head of communication read.
Great Olympics reportedly shut down on Awako
The rumors indicate that Awako’s camp approached Great Olympics to have them return the transfer fee they received from Hearts and allow Awako back to the club.
According to the reports, Great Olympics rejected the offer with a firm message to Awako’s camp that they are not interested in bringing him to their fold again.
It waits to be seen how all of this will play out in the end.
Hearts of Oak midfielder, Gladson Awako