The Nigerian Premier League board has rejected new appointments made in Heartland Football Club of Owerri, insisting that the club cannot tinker with the management list it earlier submitted to the board in line with relevant provisions of the league.
The league board had early in the season requested all Premier League clubs to forward the list of their management team to the NPL Secretariat in Abuja for record purposes, a directive which Heartland FC had since complied with.
In a letter addressed to the Imo State Football Association and copied to the management of Heartland FC, the NPL stated that the appointment of Bennedict Akwuegbu as the club’s Assistant General Manager violates Article 1.9 of the league and as such remains null and void.
The letter, which was signed by NPL’s Acting Executive Secretary, Tunji Babalola, stated in part: “We want to state that the new appointment in Heartland as announced by the Imo State Sports Commissioner, Hon Ken Emelu, is a clear breach of Article 1.9 of the league statutes and as such remains null and void. The NPL will not recognize the appointment and Heartland FC risks being sanctioned if the appointment is not reversed.”
It would be noted that Emelu had recently announced Akwuegbu as Heartland’s new AGM with former defender, Mike Obi, also appointed as Assistant Team Manager.
The club’s management had, after the appointments, written the NPL to furnish the league board of the new positions prompting the board’s reaction.