Hearland FC's Relegation Confirms The Demise Of Imo State Under Rochas Okorocha.
By Ewah Chika.
The latest football news in Nigeria as of present is the relegation of Heartland Football Club of Imo State to the second division of Nigerian Football League for the first time in their history. This is coming at a time that neighbours, Rangers of Enugu are celebrating their first league title in 32 years.
Hearland's relegation is not shocking to some considering it's been a gradual demise since the assumption of Rochas Okorocha as the governor of Imo State in 2011.
In developed countries, football clubs are majorly owned by private individuals and fans but that is the opposite in Nigeria where clubs are owned by the state government. In this system, the football clubs are run and controlled by the state governor who takes the final decision on any issue concerning the club. The Ministry of Sports or State Sports Council act as the eye of the governor in these clubs, deciding on the sacking and recruitment of players, coaches and coach's back room staff.
Under Rochas, this system has been indiscriminately abused to a large extent by the governor who interferes abruptly and consistently on every issue concerning the club. It is not only the non-payment of players and coaches salaries but also the unfavourable and partial recruitment of unfit underserving and less quality players for the club. This season, Heartland won only 11 games, losing and drawing at random. To make matters worse, the players and coach displayed a lack of professionalism required at the top level by walking out of the field and abandoning the final league game with Plateau United in protest after the referee disallowed Heartland's goal for offside with the game tied at 1-1. This is a game, Heartland needed to win and hope MFM lose to FC Ifeanyi Uba in order to remain in the top flight of the Nigerian League. Subsequently, the League Management Company of Nigeria fined Heartland #3 million, deducting three points form them and awarding Plateau United 3-0, as Heartland headed relegation. It is difficult to decipher where things fell apart for the club which is the pride of Imo State considering the club have reached the CAF Champions League final as recent as 2009.
Heartland was also one of two teams in top flight yet to test relegation, four times winners of the league and three times winners of the FA Cup. As Imolites cry over the shabby and unfair treatment metted out by the Rochas Okorocha who is proud to delay the payment of civil servants In the state in addition to the poor environmental state of the once beautiful state with refuse taking over the state. Like the always say "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely", Okorocha was once the darling of the state as he displayed the canny kindness and magnanimity required to woo the people to vote him into office thus ousting then incumbent Ikedi Ohakim in 2011. For now, Okorocha has written his name in shame and will forever be remembered as the sitting governor the season of Hearland's relegation.
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