Heartland Cry Foul Over ‘Unprofessional’ Player Poaching
Transfer tension is brewing between two Oriental NPFL giants, Heartland and Enyimba, with the Naze Millionaires accusing the People’s Elephant of “unprofessionally poaching” their players without following global transfer protocols, Completesports.com reports.
The five-time NPFL champions are fuming that Enyimba have allegedly taken four of their players without adhering to proper transfer procedures — an allegation the People’s Elephant have vehemently denied, insisting they have done nothing wrong.
Quartet At The Centre Of The Storm
At the heart of the dispute is the signing of striker John Bassey — who joined Heartland from Bayelsa United during last season’s January transfer window and scored two goals.
Also on the list are 21-year-old striker Christian Molokwu, who scored three goals in 27 appearances; goalkeeper Kelvin Ogunja; and defender Samuel Agu. The four players have allegedly been “poached” by the nine-time NPFL champions and two-time CAF Champions League winners (2003 and 2004).
Amuneke Blasts Enyimba’s Transfer Tactics
Heartland Technical Manager Emmanuel Amuneke, MFR, in a statement, lamented that Enyimba signed their players without recourse to professional norms.
He claimed Enyimba and other clubs “tapped” the youngsters Heartland showcased during a recent pre-season tournament in Aba.
“Our aim of participating in this tournament was purely developmental,” Amuneke said. “However, it’s disheartening to learn that clubs, notably Enyimba, have attempted to disrupt our plans by trying to poach players who have just begun their journeys with us.
“We’ve had a good relationship with Enyimba over the years, but their recent unethical behaviour of ‘tapping’ Heartland players in the most unprofessional manner can no longer be condoned.
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“At the moment, Christian Molokwu, John Bassey, Kelvin Ogunja and Samuel Agu are currently training with Enyimba without any formal approach or enquiry.”
Amuneke warned Enyimba and “their likes” to desist from such conduct.
Enyimba’s Sporting Director Fires Back
Enyimba’s Sporting Director, Ifeanyi Ekwueme, swiftly denied any wrongdoing, stressing that the club broke no transfer rules.
“Ordinarily, I would not engage in a public exchange with Coach Amuneke, who is my senior in both age and football,” Ekwueme said. “However, for the sake of clarity and because silence can sometimes be misinterpreted as consent, I must set the record straight.”
Ekwueme revealed that while Enyimba did not approach Heartland for clearance papers, the players arrived with their own documentation, accompanied by their managers and agents.
“The players in question were not poached by Enyimba. They approached us of their own accord, bringing their clearance papers with them. The real question should be how those papers were obtained, not why they chose to join Enyimba,” he explained.
‘Player Movement Is Normal in Football’
The Sporting Director also noted that player transfers are a normal part of the game, pointing out that six of Enyimba’s former players now feature for Abia Warriors, while their first-choice goalkeeper joined Rivers United.
“In football, player movement is natural. We didn’t complain when our players moved elsewhere — we replaced them and moved on. Players will always go where the grass is greener,” Ekwueme said, advising Heartland to focus on building a squad committed to their project.
By Sab Osuji
