Heartland coach canvasses cancellation of 2019/2020 NPFL season

27 May 2020, 15:05 by Temisan Amoye

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….As team’s players are owed four months salaries

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By John Egbokhan

Heartland Coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu has canvassed for the cancellation of the 2019-2020 Nigeria Professional Football League season because of the rising case of coronavirus in the country.

And he also revealed that his players are being owed four months salaries by the management of Heartland Football Club.

The former handler of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Football Club, said that the lives and safety of players, coaches, backroom.staff and match officials matter more than the resumption of football, as being projected by some stakeholders, who want a Super six or Super eight to be conducted to determine the winner of the league and qualifiers for next season’s CAF competitions.

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But speaking yesterday on Sports Radio Brila FM, the Anambra-born tactician said that, “if with the situation of things now as per the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country, if you ask me which option I would recommend, I will call for the league to be ended the way it is.

“Even if Heartland are among the teams in the top four, I will maintain my statement that the league should be cancelled because what is good in being alive now and not being alive to see and play in the next season.

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“I am not medical personnel or in the federal task force team to battle coronavirus but my interest is the safety and life of individuals.

If the authorities feel they can check and control the spread of the virus, then maybe, the Super six can hold but we must be careful not to put people’s lives at risk” added Ilechukwu.

On the welfare of his players, the coach said, “they are being owed salaries for four months but we continue to encourage then to hold firm, believing that the arrears of salaries would be paid soon”.