By Aaron Hammond 
Accra Hearts of Oak fans can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief today. The club management has officially cleared the massive financial hurdle hanging around their necks. Former Technical Director Rene Hiddink confirmed this morning that he has received his complete settlement of $146,000 from the club.
This payment officially clears the path for the Phobians to escape their looming FIFA transfer ban. You might remember the whole drama started when Hearts abruptly terminated the contract of the Dutch tactician. The manager felt completely cheated and dragged the issue straight to the world football governing body.
FIFA stepped in and originally ordered the Ghanaian giants to pay a compensation fee. They threatened to block the club from registering any new players globally if management failed to settle the debt. This restriction would have severely ruined their squad building plans for the new Ghana Premier League season.
The club tried to negotiate a different settlement package with the coach recently. However the legal representatives of Rene Hiddink stood their ground and rejected the new offers. They wanted the exact amount FIFA mandated without any delays or excuses.
Thankfully Togbe Afede and the board of directors of Hearts found a way to resolve this nightmare quickly. Settling this huge $146,000 debt proves that the management remains highly committed to the long term stability of the team. Coach Didi Dramani can now freely enter the transfer market and sign all his favorite targets.
Now the supporters expect the players to focus entirely on the pitch and win some trophies. Resolving these outside distractions usually brings a very positive energy into the dressing room. We hope this situation teaches all local clubs a very strong lesson about respecting professional contracts properly.
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