By Onochie Anibeze
Minutes after Heartland fell 1-0 to Ismaily to hit the bottom of their CAF Champions League group, coach Kelechi Emeteole lamented the state of a squad he had built and made the team to beat.

Siasia

He was bemoaning what had struck the club. Drawing at home and losing two consecutive away matches was not the character of the team he took to the Champions League final last year. And if Heartland had the organization TB Mazembe enjoyed they could have probably won the continental diadem.

They did not. The seeming confusion when there were uncertainties about their trip to Congo crawled into the new season and after a backlog of unpaid allowances and bonuses, the club disengaged Emeteole and Ben Iroha after they had qualified them for the group stage of the Champions League.

They hired Samson Siasia paid him the double of what Kelechi earned and settled six months salary. The first result was a draw against Al Ahly at home. It was the first time they were drawing at home.

Kelechi’s heart was heavy when he spoke Sunday night.
“I am sure that they told the governor lies and he did not know where the problem lay. You don’t need anybody to tell you if you followed our record. I laboured with this team and got them to the stage level of the Champions League  in serious difficulties. Just take this: Last season when they were paying allowances and bonuses, we had great games.
“We won great games.

We beat Rangers away 3-1 and beat Enyimba in Aba 1-0. We also beat Akwa United, Sunshine and Nasarawa all away and drew five away matches. We were just the best team in Nigeria.

The players were fired up and we never allowed things to slip. I maintained high discipline. Any player who came late for training was fined N1,000.
If you missed training you were fined N2,000. If you missed training twice you lost one week pay. Everybody sat up and we were winning. The problem started when they started owing and denying that they were owing.

It became difficult to discipline or fine players who did not have money. We were smoking when things were alright. We got results. We won all home matches and got excellent away results.

In the Champions League, after we beat Kano Pillars 4-0 at home and later qualified for the final Pillars players got a car each for reaching the semifinal. But we were battling to be paid bonuses. And if we were well organized may be we could have won that cup.

“What pained me most was the inability of the Governor to find out the truth about us. They told him that we, the coaches, were the problem. Now he may know that we were not the problem. But I thank the governor for the opportunity they gave us to serve the club in our state. We wish the club well. Things happen in football. They can win their remaining matches and get to the final.

When things were bad, I told the boys not to give up and to fight on because they would be helping themselves by doing so. The group stage is where players get spotted by scouts. Who will be telling Uchenna Agba about unpaid bonuses now? It is same with the player that went to Spain. The players should not give up. The management and government should also not give up. Anything can happen. I wish them well and I thank governor Ikeddi Ohakim for the time I served