The Heartland Football Club of Owerri says a few technical things coupled with hard luck are making its performance in the current season of the Nigeria Professional Football League unimpressive.
The club occupies the 18th position on the league’s table with 33 points.
The General Manager, Oscar Keke, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday that contrary to the insinuations from certain quarters, funding was the least of the problems affecting the club’s performance in the league.
Keke said: “It’s a combination of bad luck and one or two other technical things that we found ourselves where we are.
“Poor funding of clubs is not a new thing and it’s not restricted to Heartland FC.
“By and large I think we have done better than so many clubs.
“As I am talking to you, we are just owing our players for three months and I know some clubs that are owing up to five months.
“So, it cannot be ascribed to just funding per se.
“It is one of the factors, but it is not the main factor.
“I think our main problem has been bad luck.”
According to Keke, the quality exhibited by the team can be seen in the less number of goals it has conceded this season, when some clubs above it on the league table have conceded more.
He said: “This is why I ascribe our poor performance this season mostly to bad luck not funding as per se.”
Keke, who declined to speak on the club’s strategy to survive relegation at the end of the current league season, noted that management of the club was working hard to ensure things turned around for better.
He expressed the optimism that Heartland FC will do everything within its ability to escape the relegation zone, saying the club has experienced a similar situation in the past.
NAN.