Hearts of Oak can sign players again after paying money they owed to former player Francis Adjetey. The Ghana Premier League club settled the debt on Thursday, July 17, which automatically lifted their transfer ban.
The Ghana Football Association had banned Hearts from signing players after they missed a July 7 deadline to pay Adjetey. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had ordered the club to pay over 106,000 Ghana cedis to the player.
Hearts ended up paying more than 129,000 cedis in total, per JoySports. This included the original amount plus 5% yearly interest from September 2023 and $1,250 in legal fees.
Earlier this month, Pulse Ghana reported that the club had tried to pay the money in smaller amounts over time, but this was rejected. Adjetey’s representatives contacted the GFA to enforce the ban, forcing Hearts to pay the full amount immediately.
Francis Adjetey
Two weeks earlier, Hearts had cleared a separate $38,000 debt to New Edubiase United. That payment lifted an earlier transfer ban related to player Salim Adams.
With both debts paid, Hearts can now buy and sell players before the 2025/2026 Ghana Premier League season starts.
READ ALSO: How Hearts of Oak’s debts could cost Ghana millions of dollars from FIFA
More financial troubles for Hearts of Oak
However, the club’s financial troubles are not over. FIFA has reportedly ordered Hearts to pay $150,000 to their former Technical Director, Rene Hiddink for wrongful termination of his contract. If they fail to pay this amount, they could face another transfer ban.
The club will hope to resolve the Hiddink situation quickly to avoid further restrictions on their transfer activities.
Rene Hiddink at Hearts of Oak
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The Phobians will be relieved that the team can now sign new players, but worried about potential future bans if more debts are not settled.
