Johnkennedy Uzoma,Owerri
As the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL)’s new season is set to begin across the country, the Imo State Government has stated her readiness to appoint a new General Manager that would oversee the affairs of the Heartland Football Club owned by the state.
Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state, Hon.Dan Chike Ogu, said this when he paid host to members of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Imo State Chapter.
He said that the new GM of Heartland FC, “would be a professional, someone of reputable character with a passion in his job and has capacity to take the club to the next level.”
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He assured that Heartland FC must bounce back soon, adding that the state government was ready to fund the club to enable the club meet up with the financial commitment as it affect the NPFL and other relevant football bodies new rules and conditions.
The commissioner pointed out that times were over when a person whose field of endeavours was quite different and far from sports would be appointed to man the affairs of Heartland FC in the state.
Speaking on the lingering trouble in the Owerri-based club, the commissioner condemned in strong term the activities of the former board members in the running of Heartland FC which, according to him, has plunged the club into a state of confusion.
He blamed the current problem bedeviling the club to the failure of the former Heartland management board to make judicious use of the huge amount of money paid into the club by the state government especially in the payment of salaries of workers and players.
He accused the former management of the club of running the club like a Shell Company while he expressed surprise about discoveries made that majority of the players have not been paid of their salaries despite the huge amount of money released to the club.
According to him, majority of players may risk losing their seven months salaries owed to them because of their failure to present to the state government their contract certificates adding that majority of the players apart from five are on loan to the club.
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While congratulating the professional body for holding a successful election in the state which has brought about a new executive members of the association, the commissioner assured them of the willingness of the commission to carry the association along in their scheme of things.
In his speech earlier, the newly-elected chairman of SWAN, Imo State Chapter, Comrade Everest Ezihe, thanked the commissioner for his appointment by the Governor of the state.
He informed the commissioner that they were in his office to introduce the new executive members of the association to him and to solicite the cooperation and assistance of the Commission to ensure effective running of the association.
While informing the commissioner about the challenges facing the association, such as lack of office accommodation, vehicle and other logistics, Ezihe appealed to the commissioner to consider injecting members of SWAN into some of the sports committees when created by the Commission.