Hearts of Oak withdraws from Eko International Tournament
By Lukman MUMIN
Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak have withdrawn from the Eko International Tournament in Nigeria.
The Phobians, who lost the President Cup to archrivals Kotoko last Sunday, announced their decision to withdraw due to changes in the tournament schedule.
The four-team tournament was originally slated for July 6 to July 13, but the organizers rescheduled it to July 13 to July 20, forcing Hearts to pull out.
According to the Ghanaian club, the change interferes with their plans, which include player recovery and preparation for pre-season.
In a letter released on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Hearts of Oak announced that players will take a break from July 9 before the start of pre-season later this month.
“After careful discussions between management and the technical team, the tournament rescheduled from July 13 to July 20 clashes with our carefully planned rest and recovery period for the players, which is crucial before we kick off our pre-season preparations,” the club stated.
“We have taken the difficult decision to withdraw in order to protect the well-being of our squad,” the club added.
The former Ghana Premier League champions also have a busy schedule in August, where they will feature in the GHALCA Top 4, the Homowo Cup, and the Democracy Cup.
The 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season will begin in September.
