FIFA, the global authority overseeing football, has imposed a transfer embargo on Heartland FC, a club competing in the Nigeria National League (NNL). This restriction bars the team from signing any new players across the next three transfer periods.
The sanction stems from Heartland FC’s failure to clear outstanding debts owed to their ex-player, N’Goran Roland Adjourmani Koffi, who featured for the club during the 2023-24 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
According to an official communication from FIFA addressed to the club, the transfer ban will persist until Heartland fulfills the payment obligations to Koffi. The restriction is effective immediately, placing the Owerri-based side in a challenging situation regarding squad reinforcements.
It is important to highlight that the Nigeria Football Federation’s Players’ Status and Arbitration Committee (PSAC) had earlier mandated Heartland FC to settle outstanding dues to several former players, including Umah Johnson, Esobe Chukwudi, Ezekiel Bassey, and Ugochukwu Leonard, among others.
