By Kelechi Mejuobi
The landmarks of Imo State cannot be completely written without due space allocated for the striking exploits of Heartland Football club of Owerri for adding Imo among committy of states in the federation with outstanding soccer outfits.
Heartland FC is not just the traditional home team of people of Imo State, but has produced numerous iconic players that had made the country proud at every level of the round leather game.
At the birth of Imo State from old East Central State where Rangers International of Enugu was the darling club of Igbo Speaking areas, Spartans FC, Owerri, was born. Years later, the State handed the team over to a billionaire businessman and sports promoter, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, to sponsor, leading to name transformation from Spartans FC of Owerri to Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri. Iwuanyanwu Nationale became a household name in the local and International scene, beginning from the military era to the return of democracy in 1999. One can’t talk about Nigeria’s super stars without recourse to the team’s products. From Kanu Nwankwo, Mobi Oparaku, to Okey Uche, Ben Iroha, Thompson Oliha, Isaac Semitoje and others, Heartland has been a talent manufacturing workshop for the national teams.
After Achike Udenwa’s eight years. The club was renamed Heartland FC when Ikedi Ohakim was governor.
From her days as Spartans, Iwuanyanwu and now Heartland, the team, fondly called Naze Millionaires, always occupied front page mention in the domestic scene until recently, down ward slope became part of its history.
Likewise, sad commentaries started trailing the fortunes of the club when it won the ticket to represent Nigeria in the CAF Confederations Cup. Before 2011, Heartland FC had been in the continent either involved in CAF champion’s league or campaigning for the Confederations Cup.
After winning the Federations Cup in Lagos in 2011, a license to take part in International outing, the State Government, under a particular administration was tepid to prosecute the continental engagement as the country’s representative. The ignominy arising from the disqualification of the team from that year’s competition, due to inability to honour away game was superfluous. For the first time in the history of the club that took part in several continental outings, it was disqualified by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for not honouring an away game somewhere in Gabon. That was the genesis of Heartland FC misfortune, that has metamorphosis to a near death state.
The team commenced a declivitous movement which saw it leave the front line bracket that had been the clubs normal position in the past, to regularly escape the murky waters of relegation in the past few years.
Within this period, most of the die-hard supporters suffered traumatic moments as the once glamorous club of Owerri residents and landlords of Dan Anyiam Stadium preferred the bottom place marks.
The mediocre performance could not be sustained as the club under the same era was relegated. But for the ingenuity of a football manger who came on board to run the team, Heartland came back to the elite league the following season. The Naze Millionaires would have been floating in the less fancied second division, but for the effort of the club chairman who undertook rare acts to drag the team out of the woods. Another demotion was to be experienced two seasons ago but for the decision of the football house in Nigeria not to relegate clubs.
Having survived previous seasons to continue appearance in the NPFL, the club became engrossed in leadership tussle, amidst non-payment of allowances of players and management. It was noticed that instead of firing on all cylinders to be above board, what dominated proceedings more was leadership squabbles with the attendant blackmail and back biting that rubbed the shine off attempt to launch the team back to winning ways.
Before the Covid-19 lockdown, the players were to embark on protest over non-payment of allowances even as latest reports have it that about seven star players of the team have left to greener pastures since the State government is not forthcoming with interest about further prosecution of the new season, including poor funding.
In the last count, stories have it that a clearer picture of who is incharge of the team has not emerged following contest by parties involved in the struggle for leadership.
A management team led by Charles Ezekwem dictated pace until a commissioner in the present administrations came up with instruments of office to lay claim to the management of the club.
My commentary is neither to discuss the leadership tussle nor say who is entitled to run the affairs of the club, but the looming dark moments where football fans may lose the fun of watching their favorite side take part in the premier league.
While surfing the net during the week to get information on latest preparations for the coming season, grapevine sources revealed that the Hope Uzodinma government may disband the club due to plethora of challenges facing it at the moment. While, I am yet to verify the veracity or otherwise of the disband story, it is trite to state that Heartland FC is a heritage of the Imo people. There was a time Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri became the recreational centre of Imo peop0le whenever the team played. Regular visitors to league centres won’t easily forget the emotional ‘Owerri Wu Oke Mba” songs of the lively supporters club of the team, coupled with the fascinating drum beats typical of the Igbo culture. If previous administrations had given the side sense of belonging through proper funding and prime consideration in the scheme of things, Heartland would have been in flying mood to conquer Africa again. The Uzodinma administration needs to include the team in the shared prosperity scheme of the state.
The state government needs to move in and resolve the leadership claim as well as clear outstanding allowances owed to players and management.
I am aware that serious minded premier league sides in the country have commenced serious preparations for the coming season, but Heartland FC is only endowed with leadership crisis and non- payment of allowances. A stitch in time saves nine.
My advice is for the owners, Imo State Government, to eschew self destructive tendencies of applying clannish interest of either choosing their fellow party men or kinsmen and allies, who lack football management techniques, to mange Heartland FC. The greatest albatross of the state governors of the past had been the knack to choose their cronies who are novices to finesse in football handling tactics to run the club. This pattern had plunged the team into difficult terrain at the end of each season. The state government should eschew partisan proclivity in choosing who should be in charge if positive result is desired.
