By Our Correspondent

The crisis rocking Heartland Football Club, Owerri, Imo State, has moved to the next level with the Supporters’ Club chairman, Mr. Eze Nkemka demanding that the media director of the club withdraw a statement credited to him accusing the former vice chairman of the club of using it to blackmail the management, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report

Eze frowned at the unprofessional attitude of the media director during an interview with Love FM Radio Umuahia. He said Solomon coming to the state has brought lots of bad luck to the team as he began his journey in the state by creating crisis where there was none in the club seven years ago which made them to bring him into the team but instead of using his position as the media director to create good relations between the club and the public, he had created more enemies for the club in the last seven years.

Mr. Eze wondered how Prince Stephen who is highly respected in the club because of his leadership stance in issues involving the club could be said to be an impostor.
He washed his hands and that of the club off the management and advised them to account for the stewardship in office it could be recalled that Mr Onu issued a statement last week with the name of the supporters club chairman singed by his PRO were the condemned the former Vice chairman of the club of blackmailing the management in this now popular interview with the Sun Newspaper were he called on the management to account for their stewardship in office.

As more revealing account of how the fifteen (15) players sacked were recruited by an insider who does not want his name in print, he said the recruitment was allegedly done by the board led by Barr Babatude Ezekwem who took over the duty of the management under the pretences that they noticed irregularities in the exercise even before it began.

He noted that the board did the recruitment of all the players and officers for the club which angered the Government who ordered the reduction in the work force of the club which led to the sacking of the experienced workers of the club and retening of his inexperienced cronies.

But investigation revealed that the order of the governor at that time that the club should sign ten (10) quality players at the sum of N3.5 million with the first 45 million was not followed as Ikechukwu Ezenwa was the only player of that quality that was brought into the club. Other players were alleged to be of less quality and are still being owed over half of the money before they were sacked and new players brought in on loan to cover up and concile the money which made some of them to approach the league management company for help.

One of the angry players said they will soon appear on national television to expose the atrocities committed by the board which includes non payment of their November salary and not paying in full the agreement signed with them.

According to the playerss the problem began when the board illegally suspended the general manager of the team and replaced him with Mr Godson Onyimobi who is said not to have the requisite experience in football business and a board member of the club who was also appionted under opaque circumstances on acting capacity.

Observers regarded his appointment as adnomal in football adminstration in Nigeria