Even though the Champions League rewards clubs who make the League stage, Hearts have not been to that stage once since winning in 2000 and have effectively concluded they don’t have a side that can reach the League stage this season. Hearts vice-president Frank Nelson told KickOffGhana.com the club had arrived at the decision at a board meeting on Wednesday. “We took a number factors into consideration but finance was a major issue,” he said. Hearts won the Ghana League crown last season after a thrilling neck to neck race with Asante Kotoko but have looked out of sorts at the start of this season. They have lost two and won one scoring only one goal in the process. But their withdrawal will still be a shock to the Ghana system given how regular they have become on the African continent. It also leaves Asante Kotoko as the sole campaigners in the CAF Champions League and could leave them as the sole Ghanaian participants in the pan African club competitions if Heart of Lions and King Faisal decide not to play in the Confederations Cup which they say takes too much in terms of finances from them without offering much in return.
