Accra, May 29, GNA 96 Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club is considering reporting arch rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko to the Ethics Committee of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF).

The action of the Phobians follows allegations that the 2006 One Touch Professional League Board (PLB) Special Knock-Out champions (Hearts) have been aided by referees at both local and continental level.

A statement issued by Mr Ashford Tettey-Oku, Administrative Manager of Hearts and copied to GNA Sports said, the Club is seeking the permission of the Board of Directors to send recordings of the interviews to the Ethics Committee of CAF for appropriate actions. They said their action is because the claims by Kotoko seem to be questioning the competence and integrity of CAF.

Hearts reaction is to claims by Kotoko that Hearts have received favours from referees in Ghana and on the continental level, citing the game against St Georges of Ethopia as an example.

Mr Tettey-Oku recalled interviews granted by Messrs Paul Victor Obeng and Kwame Boafo, Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Kotoko as well as Jarvis Preprah, Acting Chief Executive of the Club who stated in separate interviews that, there are pro-Hearts referees in the system, citing referee A.P. Agbovi, Chairman of the Referees Appointments Committee as an example and on the continental level as well.

Hearts however said St Georges have been punished by CAF following a report from the referees and the Match Commissioner after which Heart went ahead to defeat Etoile Du Sahel of Tunisia to advance to the next stage of the competition to confirm their strength. The statement also called the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) to react spuriously to the various allegations made by Kotoko that there are pro-Hearts referees in Ghana, who have been helping Hearts to win their matches.

It said the Club has won all victories over Kotoko deservingly and wondered why they continue to make allegations after every defeat. The statement said officials of Kotoko also alleged that former Hearts player, Prince Tagoe was aided by referees to become the 2005 goal-king but was unable to score a single goal at the Nations Cup in Egypt.

According to the statement, Prince Tagoe did not only win the goal-king on merit but scored some classic goals in the Confederation Cup matches and questioned how many goals that were scored by the acclaimed stars of the national team at the Nations Cup. It also asked Mr Awuah Nyamekye, acting President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), who doubles as a Director of the Club to explain the criteria for appointments to the various Sub-Committees at the FA.

They said this was in response to claims that referee Johnfia replaced referee B.K. Dwomoh on the Disciplinary Committee of the GFA to serve the interest of Hearts.

The statement said, 'Our supremacy over Kotoko in such very special encounters is historical and more of such sweet victories have been recorded in the Ashanti Region'.

'It is, however, natural that team officials express such post match disappointments when things go bad and Kotoko's unsporting posture is clearly a case of sour grapes'.

'It was premised on the fact that they still lost the match after we asked the organisers to oblige their request for a change of referee in the knockout encounter', the statement added. The statement said Hearts is magnanimous in victory, hence the need for Kotoko to be humble in defeat.