The Executive Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma has unveiled former CAF Player of Year, Emmanuel Amuneke as the Heartland FC technical manager, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
In a short ceremony held at the Government House, Owerri in the presence of the Imo State expanded Executive Council, the Governor expressed his dissatisfaction with the Naze Millionaires successive relegation from the topflight.
He said it was the reason the Imo Government went out of its ways to get a coach who hails from the state but has achieved greatness with the Tanzanian senior national team, Zanaco FC (Zambia), Emmanuel Amuneke, to come to the aid of the team.
"We are gathered here this afternoon in our effort to reposition Heartland FC for a brighter future. The events of the past showed that we came here in 2020 we met Heartland FC relegated from the NPFL. We did our best, gave them the support and motivated the team and we were able to get out of the relegation," Governor Uzodinma began.
"But recently, we noticed that Heartland FC is going down the drain so we decided to satisfy the yearnings of our people and improve and stimulate the enthusiasm that usually greets the successes of Heartland FC by way of re-organising the administrative structure and also strengthen the manpower and the management strength of the club. In that bid we have identified one of our best who played and a former head coach of Tanzanian national team who is resident in Spain.
"We beamed our searchlight and we were able to locate Emmanuel Amuneke. He is an expensive coach but we struggled to plead and combining patriotism and love of state he agreed to take what we were able to afford. Heartland is a club everyone in the state is passionate about and a club we are all committed towards."
Governor Uzodinma charged the new leadership of Heartland FC to work towards winning the league title and returning the team back to the continent just like it was when the team was still Spartans and then Iwuanyanwu Nationale which was synonymous then with titles.
"One of the targets we are giving to the new leadership is that they must win the Nigeria Premier Football League title and also qualify for the continent. We are all specially committed in ensuring that Heartland FC becomes what it used to be. The days of Spartans FC and Iwuanyanwu Nationale where they occupied the top three positions in the league for several years."
The Governor disclosed that the new Heartland FC Technical manager will report directly to him to ensure that the club's operational activities goes on smoothly and devoid of unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck.
In his response, the 1994 CAF Player of the Year, Amuneke assured Governor Uzodinma that he would work towards ensuring that Heartland FC regains its enviable heights and he called for the support of the State Government for him and the team to achieve set objectives.
"Your Excellency I am promising you on behalf of myself and the entire Heartland FC that we are going to do our best to ensure Heartland FC returns to its former enviable position," Amuneke said.
"I am a someone with objective and I do not involve myself in something that I am not capable of doing. I remember when I was unveiled as the coach of Tanzania one of the things I told them was that we would qualify for AFCON 2019 but everybody thought it was a joke but eventually we were able to qualify them for the AFCON for the first time after 39 years.
"Please, be rest assured that we will make sure that with your support we will take Heartland FC back to where it used to be."
Heartland FC Media