FIFA imposes transfer ban on Heartland over unpaid wages to ex-Ivorian midfielder

By Dayo Awoniyi

Heartland FC of Owerri has been hit with a transfer ban by world football governing body FIFA following the club’s failure to settle outstanding wages owed to former Ivorian midfielder N’goran Roland Adjoumani Koffi.

In a letter dated October 3, 2025, with reference number FPSD-19817, FIFA confirmed that the Nigerian club failed to comply with a previous ruling mandating the payment of Koffi’s unpaid entitlements. The dispute, which had dragged on for months, ultimately led the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to take decisive action.

The sanction, signed by FIFA’s Head of Disciplinary, Americo Espallargas, prohibits Heartland from registering new players—both domestically and internationally—until the outstanding debt is fully paid.

“The registration ban will remain active until the amount due is paid and for a maximum duration of up to three entire and consecutive registration periods,” the FIFA statement read.

In compliance with the directive, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been instructed to enforce the ban within its jurisdiction, ensuring Heartland remains barred from signing players across all levels of Nigerian football.

The development is a significant setback for the Owerri-based club, who were relegated from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) last season and are currently preparing for life in the Nigeria National League (NNL). The ban now prevents them from strengthening their squad ahead of the 2024/2025 campaign.

In a related development, the NFF’s Players’ Status and Arbitration Committee (PSAC) has also ordered Heartland to settle unpaid wages and entitlements to several former players, including Umah Johnson, Esobe Chukwudi, Ugochukwu Leonard, and Ezekiel Bassey.

This latest sanction underscores FIFA’s continued crackdown on financial indiscipline among clubs and its commitment to upholding the contractual rights of players worldwide. Heartland now joins a growing list of Nigerian clubs facing international penalties for breach of contract involving players and coaches.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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