HEARTLAND: Kick Against NPL Sanction

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Heartland FC

Heartland FC

Heartland FC of Owerri has vowed to challenge the sanction slammed on it by the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) over their match against Enyimba Int’l of Aba, describing it as ‘undeserving and unjustifiable.’

The NPL on Thursday banished Heartland FC to Calabar while the club was also asked to cough out N1.6m as fine following reported fans trouble immediately after the game played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP SPORTS yesterday, Heartland’s Media Officer, Cajetan Nkwopara said that the league body acted in error by issuing punishment in a matter which the NPL had already taken to court over what he said a proper probe had not been conducted.

He said, “We learnt a suspect is still being prosecuted in court who claimed to be a fan of Heartland FC but whom we later discovered came from Aba, the home-base of our opponents.  There is overwhelming evidence showing that after the game ended, supporters of the visiting team were the first to encroach on the field area and only a proper probe of the incident can reveal what happened. But most important is the issue of security during the match. According to NPL Article 3.1(1), ‘the state FA as representatives of the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) shall perform the NPL’s statutory functions with regards to the control of security before, during and after matches. Following this, Heartland FC paid the required money for the provision of security to the Enugu State FC and the club was neither in-charge nor in control of security. Heartland FC therefore, cannot be responsible for the lapse in security especially the type witnessed in Enugu where all our players, coaches and entire management staff conducted themselves in line with the laws of the competition.”

 

In : Sports

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