Ishmael Addo, a Hearts of Oak icon, believes it’s heartbreaking to watch the club fail after failure in Africa.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Phobians were regular challengers on the continent, but they have been non-competitive for the better part of the previous decade and a half.
Addo was a member of the last Hearts team to dominate the continent, winning the Ghana Premier League, FA Cup, and CAF Champions League in 2000.
The Accra-based club also won the inaugural CAF Confederations Cup in 2004, defeating domestic rivals Asante Kotoko on penalties in the final.
Hearts have yet to duplicate their success in Africa, despite ending a 12-year trophy drought last season and winning the league and two FA Cups in the last two years.
Last season, the Phobians were eliminated from the Champions League after a 6-2 total loss to Wydad Casablanca.
They were also eliminated from the Confederations Cup after a humiliating 4-2 aggregate loss against JS Saoura.
And they appear to be heading for another early departure this season after losing 3-0 to Real Bamako in the first leg of the Confederations Cup’s second round.
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Addo, who led Hearts to three Ghana Premier League titles, is dissatisfied with how his previous club has declined.
“It’s painful to watch Hearts of Oak play in Africa these days,”, the retiring striker told Joy Sports in an interview.
“It’s really painful because you sit back after putting the team up there. You left with the idea that they would be better than where you put the team but you realize that the team keeps coming down and dropping.
“Even though we had our time and left, we still have something towards the team, we still have this passion, we still want the team to achieve better than what we achieved but now they are taking a step backward.”
Meanwhile, Hearts will try to overcome a three-goal lead when they visit Real Bamako in Accra on Sunday, with their position in the CAF Confederations Cup at stake.
