Under fire Accra Hearts of Oak board chairman Commodore Mensah has been given the full backing of the club's council of patrons as the crisis in the Hearts camp took a new twist.

Hearts' fan wing the Chapters had hoped the council of patrons made up of some of the most prominent members of the Hearts family will back them and kick Mensah out, but the council emerged from a meeting late on Wednesday and said Mensah will continue to stay in charge.

The Hearts fans claimed in a petition to the council of patrons that Mensah's stay in office "will only serve to plunge our club into further crisis".

But the patrons have asked for an end to such statements and ordered that he board chairman is the only one mandated to comment publicly on issues to do with Hearts.

That though is unlikely to cool the simmering tension that has engulfed the Phobians since the end of the last season.

The board chairman, armed with a fresh mandate from the council will now proceed to pick a new chief executive for the club with former AshantiGold boss Kudjoe Fianoo and Neil Armstrong Mortagbe the past president of the chapters the early front runners.