Hold Amuneke Responsible for Heartland FC’s Woes – Okoroafor

Emmanuel Amuneke, the 1994 African Footballer of the year, should be held squarely responsible for the third relegation of Heartland FC of Owerri to the lower division of the country’s league. This is the submission of sports administrator and lecturer, Chief Charles Okoroafor.

Speaking with our correspondents at his office at Mbaise Road in Owerri, on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Chief Okoroafor regretted that Amuneke failed to deliver despite being empowered by the state government to achieve results.

Okoroafor, a one-time legal advisor to the Imo State Sports Council and match commissioner for 15 years, observed that Amuneke was given a free hand to manage the club and achieve results but failed woefully.

He stressed that while Amuneke was a fantastic footballer in his heyday, his prowess on the field has not translated to being a good coach.

Okoroafor pointed out that Amuneke’s tenure as coach of the Tanzanian National Team was underwhelming, with the team qualifying for the African Nations Cup due to the weak teams in their qualifying group.

He noted that Amuneke’s poor coaching was exposed when he failed to take the team beyond the first round at the African Nations Cup final.

The former member of the Imo State Football Association asserted that Amuneke’s achievement in winning the U-17 World Cup should not be praised, as it was accomplished with overaged players, a practice that has made it impossible for Nigerian players to graduate to the senior team without burning out.

Hear him; “The relegation of Heartland FC is something that gives us cause for concern. I don’t like pretense about issues.

“Emmanuel Amuneke should be held responsible for the relegation of the club. Forget the claim of some people trying to pull him down or alleging all sorts of sabotage.

“In this situation, the governor gave him free hand and all he needed to work with. You don’t run football the manner he did.

“They emerged all components of administration -the technical, finance, etc in the hands of one man. You can’t succeed this way.

“You can’t be GM(Administration) and still be Technical Advisor and financial controller and still be in charge of maintenance -cutting of grasses. Too much power was entrusted in one man.

“He was given free hand but he should have delegated duties. Amuneke was a fine player but being a fine footballer did not expose him to management of a team.

“Even as a coach, I dare say he has not fared well. What record does he have? He was able to win U-17 Cup. Who has not won U-17? Even Fanny Amu who wasn’t a player won it. They fielded over-aged men as U-17 and won. Brodericks too.

“That one is no achievement. You bring elderly men and pass them off as U-17. They would win because they would be playing with young players.

“You will never see our U-17 team graduate to U-20 then to the main team. The other one is qualifying Tanzania to the Cup of Nations. You ask yourself in what group did they find themselves? And at the competition, did he win any match? He lost the three.

“When the clamour for him to be made the national coach, I was telling people to be cautious.”

Okoroafor, a lawyer maintained that Amuneke should have retained Heartland FC at the premiership league where he met them instead of coaching them to swim in the relegation waters.

The lawyer upbraided the administrators of the nation’s football for appointing Finidi George to coach the Super Eagles.

According to him, Finidi has no business or expertise being the sweat merchant of the Super Eagles.

He submitted that Nigeria should have continued with the expatriate coaches to consolidate the fortunes of the team.

At the moment, Nigeria is walking a tight rope as the qualification of her national team for the next World Cup hangs in the balance.

Okoroafor doesn’t have kind words for government and players too. He believes the country’s players lack commitment and patriotism and government is not doing much in the provision of sports infrastructure.

According to him, players pay more allegiance to their clubs than country. This, he said they do because of the huge funds accruing to them from the clubs forgetting that their hire or stay at the clubs is dependent on national call ups they get.

Okoroafor counseled government to improve on sports facilities across the country even as he called for greater commitment on the part of players and administrators of sports in the country.