The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has placed Accra Hearts of Oak under a transfer restriction after the team disregarded a request to pay New Edubiase United FC $70,000.
According to Article 15(1)(c) of the GFA Disciplinary Code, the ban took effect when Hearts of Oak failed to pay the outstanding balance by the last day of May 31, 2025.
The GFA Players' Status Committee's ruling, which mandated that Hearts of Oak pay New Edubiase $50,000 as an unpaid balance on the transfer of Salim Adams and an extra $20,000, which represents 40% of an onwards transfer price, is what led to the payment.
Hearts of Oak failed to uphold the terms agreed upon by New Edubiase United, even after the two teams met in March to settle the dispute amicably and acknowledged the verdict earlier. It is thought that Hearts of Oak requested that Edubiase write off the debt during the March meeting because the anticipated result for Salim Adams' transfer had not gone as planned.
It was anticipated that the Phobians would earn almost a million dollars from his move to FC Cincinnati; however, he was unable to make the cut and was forced to return home.
The Capital-based club paid $50,000 before he left, even though they had previously promised to pay New Edubiase United $120,000 for permanently signing the player.
In the March meeting between the two clubs, Edubiase had agreed to write off the debt because the business had gone wrong, but Hearts of Oak are believed to have failed to adhere to their side of the agreement, hence the club's insistence on receiving the outstanding $70,000.
Consequently, the GFA Disciplinary Committee, in a ruling issued on 8th May 2025, fined the club GH¢5,000 and gave it until the end of May to make full payment or risk facing sanctions including a transfer ban.
Under the GFA’s disciplinary regulations, the transfer ban restricts Hearts of Oak from registering new players both domestically and internationally until the full amount is paid.
The regulation also provides for additional sanctions such as points deduction or relegation in the event of continued non-compliance.
