Hearts of Oak coach dies

By Ibrahim Sannie
BBC Sport

Hearts of Oak coach Emmanuel Ofei Ansah (left) has passed away

The coach of Ghanaian club Hearts of Oak, Emmanuel Ofei Ansah, died on Wednesday.

Ansah collapsed after a league match against Liberty Professionals in Accra on Tuesday and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he passed away on Wednesday morning.

No official cause of death has yet been released by either the club or the hospital.

The former Black Stars defender had been on the sidelines during the match and had seen his side win the game 1-0 against former Hearts boss Cecil Jones Attuquayefio.

Hearts of Oak spokesman Randy Abbey told BBC: "Ofei is a big loss to the team as the players have a lot to learn from his experience as an international footballer.

"He was also a young coach, who has worked under one of the best coaches [Attuquayefio] on the continent."

Ansah had been an assistant coach with Hearts for nearly 12 years and was appointed head coach after the departure of Attuquayefio to Liberty Professionals in March.

He was part of the coaching team that saw Hearts win the African Champions League in 2000 and the first ever Confederation Cup in 2004.

Tuesday's win had also taken Hearts Of Oak to the top of the league after eight matches.

Ansah's death comes barely a month after goalkeeping coach Salifu Ansah, who was also a former international, passed away.