The Naze Millionaires have been confirmed for the second tier following an abysmal season, with their show of shame versus Plateau United confirming their demise

Heartland Football Club have suffered their first relegation since the advent of professional football in Nigeria.

The Owerri based side had endured a torrid season boasting of 11 wins and 11 draws, but their relegation to the Nigeria National League was sealed following their appalling act against Plateau United.

Victory against the Jos side plus a defeat for MFM versus FC Ifeanyi Ubah could have kept them in the topflight, but the Naze Millionaires abandoned the match after the referee disallowed their goal for an offside with scores still at 1-1.

Reviewing the abandoned game on Thursday, the League Management Company awarded the game in favour of Plateau United while Heartland were fined the sum of three million naira.

“The League Management Company following a review of reports and video of the match issued separate Summary Jurisdiction Notices to the clubs,” LMC said in a statement.

“In the case against Heartland, the LMC charged the club for breach of B13.26 for failing to continue with the match. The team is also fined N3 million and will forfeit three points and three goals to Plateau United.

“For the breach, the LMC fined Plateau United N1 million and both clubs have 48 hours to submit to the ruling or elect representatives to appear before the commission if they are not satisfied with the decision.”

Giwa FC, Ikorodu United and Warri Wolves are the other teams to begin life in the lower division next season.


http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4111/npfl/2016/10/06/28236892/heartland-relegated-for-first-time-in-history?ICID=HP_HN_2

Heartland FC (formerly known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale 1985–06) is a Nigerian football club based in Owerri. They play their home games at Dan Anyiam Stadium. Until their 17th place showing in 2016, they were one of two teams in the top flight that had never been relegated.

History:
Originally founded as Spartans FC, they won the Nigerian championship three years running from 1988–90. [1]. Their first international (friendly) match was against Ararat Yerevan of the USSR which Spartans won 2–0 at the Township Stadium, Tetlow Road, Owerri, in August 1976.

Milestones:

November 1985: Spartans FC renamed Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC following a successful change of ownership from Imo State Government to chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

January 1986: Iwuanyanwu Nationale embark on a 3-week training tour of Brazil. The club finished runner-up of Nigerian top league.

1987: Iwuanyanwu Nationale emerge League runners-up behind Leventis United on goal difference. But they later got the ticket to represent Nigeria in CAF Champions Cup following the disbandment of Leventis United.

1988: Iwuanyanwu Nationale repeat as League champions as well as winning Nigerian FA Cup for first time, beating Flash Flamingoes of Benin in cup final 3–0. Reach CAF Champions Cup final, winning 1–0 in first leg tie in Ibadan, losing 4–0 in Constantine, Algeria in return leg versus Entente Setif.

1989: Retain League title but lost FA Cup following 0–1 loss in final to BCC Lions.

1990: Iwuanyanwu Nationale beat Stationery Stores of Lagos in Lagos in professional League's commemorative game 2–1. Nationale went on to emerge first pro league winners in Nigeria.

1991: Nationale lose League title to Julius Berger, crash out of CAF Champions Cup to Nakivubo of Uganda in semi-final.

1993: Club regain League title following a 2–0 away victory over El-Kanemi Warriors in last league fixture to edge out Bendel Insurance to the title race.

1994: Reach champions cup quarter-final. Lose 3–0 to Espérance de Tunis of Tunisia in first leg tie, September 18. Aboard a chartered Oriental Airline, the team suffered an aircrash at Tamanrasset, Southern Algeria same night. Two players, defender Aimola Omale and goalkeeper Uche Ikeogu lost their lives.
CAF consequently shifted the return leg match in Owerri from October 3, to October 10. Nationale crashed out following a 1–1 draw in the return leg match.

1999: Emerged regular League champions but lost title to Lobi Stars of Makurdi in the inaugural Super League play-off.

2005: Finished third in Premier League and also in the Coca-Cola FA Cup with coach Stanley Eguma in charge.

2006: Imo State Government re-acquire ownership of the club on February 7 from chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, renaming it Heartland FC.

2008: Finished second in Premier League by one point to Kano Pillars, earned a Champions League slot.

2009: Finished second in the 2009 CAF Champions League, losing to away goals to TP Mazembe after tying 2–2 on aggregate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartland_F.C.

Achievements:

Nigerian Premier League: 4
1988, 1989, 1990, 1993.

Nigerian FA Cup: 3
1988, 2011, 2012.

Nigerian Super Cup: 2
2011, 2012.

Heartland FC play their home games at Dan Anyiam Stadium

The home ground of Heartland of Owerri, is aptly named the Dan Anyiam Stadium.

Perhaps no better honour can be bestowed on the former Nigerian captain, defender and coach who died in the capital city of the heartland of Igbo land in 1977. A member of the famous UK Tourists of 1949, Dan Anyiam was the vice-captain of the team. He played in the left half-back position.

With just 10 caps, Anyiam was more prominent as a coach than as a player. He was captain for 11 years, spanning from 1949, when he led Nigeria against hosts Sierra Leone, to 1960, when he played his last against Ghana.

He represented Nigeria on 10 occasions and scored once. The memorable goal was in the October 30, 1954, Jalco Cup encounter against the then Gold Coast (now Ghana).

He collected the ball from a throw-in and passed to Peter "Baby" Anieke, who also found Teslim Balogun. The striker unleashed a shot at Ghana's goal but the goalkeeper parried it into the path of on-rushing Anyiam. He, at first, feigned a pass, then released a shot that caught the goalkeeper napping. Nigeria won the game, 3-0.

After the UK tour of 1949 he returned to England and trained as a coach for nine months in 1954. He also trained in Germany, where he played as a semi-professional footballer for Viktoria Köln.

Having played professionally in Europe, Anyiam, along with Teslim Balogun, was disqualified from featuring in the qualifying matches for the Olympic qualifying duels of the 1960 Olympic Games. That was cited as one of the reasons the Nigerian team failed to qualify.

He was appointed national coach in 1959. He started his football career at Central School, Nkwerre, Imo State and went on to the Etinam Institute and Holy Family College, Abak, near Calabar.

He later joined the famous Zik Athletic Club (ZAC Bombers) from where he joined Lagos UAC. Between 1949 and 1960 he played for a couple of Nigerian clubs, including SCOA, the famous Pan Bank and PWD.

After the Nigerian Civil War, Anyiam became a coach in the East Central State (later broken into Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states) and, in 1971, led Enugu Rangers to Lagos to win the Amachree Cup. The same year, he brought the East Central State Academicals to capture the Adebajo Cup, beating Kwara State 1-0 in the final.

The quest for a treble that year failed as his Enugu Rangers lost to WNDC Shooting Stars in the final of the Challenge Cup.

stars that have played for heartland fc

Kanu Nwankwo started out at Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) of the Nigerian Premier League.before he went on to Europe.

they will come back stronger

It is no doubt that they were robbed of victory in Jos because their case was indeed valid and they took the wrong step abandoning the game.

There is always a limit the heart can accept cheating and that played into them for their reactions though.

What a history they have...... Abeg shey make we beg for FP on this again ni abi we go wait to mention snake again?

Kakamorufu:
they will come back stronger

hope so

Ok

what happened in jos was really bad I just tink they were hell bent on seeing DAT headland got religated but I know we will come back next year

PROVERBZ:
what happened in jos was really bad I just tink they were hell bent on seeing DAT headland got religated but I know we will come back next year

that was unfortunate but if they have pick relevant point earlier that match wouldn't have mean any thing

Rochas well done o! Hope you're enjoying the show. I hope even you will soon appreciate the fact that you have left Imo worse in every aspect than it was when she was gifted to you by our own goodwill.

Rubbish!

Captain EzeOnyeAgwalam! Thank you for finally ruining our state for us! Echi di ime, we will be here to witness what it will birth! You cannot sow rubbish and reap champaign...mba nu!

And now they set the record

ROCHAS is WORKING ooo



Imolites are seeing your handiwork...

Rochas did it to punish IMO ppl .. Abagworo

Rochas has a lot of explaining to do to Imo people for setting backwards

They helped MFM dodged relegation.

wE NO GO GREE.

tHIS IS MARGINALIZATION.

wHY yORUBA ABI NA AFONJA CLUB TO SAVE AND WE IPOB RELEGATE?

wE MUST PROPTEST

.

APC and Rochas are incompetent



Just Negodu the kind of achievements imo state is achieving under his tenure....

Imolites will never forgive you



Goodbye to Rochas and his APC Stooge in 2019




#IStandWithSamDaddy 2019

Kudos to the Apc propaganda Gov of Imo State Rochas for under funding this team,making them to break this record,this is d kind of change we voted for.

PROVERBZ:
what happened in jos was really bad I just tink they were hell bent on seeing DAT headland got religated but I know we will come back next year

semasir:
It is no doubt that they were robbed of victory in Jos because their case was indeed valid and they took the wrong step abandoning the game.

There is always a limit the heart can accept cheating and that played into them for their reactions though.

What a history they have...... Abeg shey make we beg for FP on this again ni abi we go wait to mention snake again?

They've started with their pathetic sentiment.

Who are the 'they'?

Heartland lost the battle the moment they walked off the pitch that day

Well, we are in an era of #Change, so its expected.

Not a big deal.

Juventus also went on relegation 2006



But why would they abandon their game. This s immature
That's z y the NPF z not progressing. No improvement


Oun peke

Who still watches Nigerian premier league?

History being made indeed. Arsenal should be next insha Allah.

Alhaji Rochas strategically executing his mandate in Imo state just like Buhari is doing at the National Level.

By 2019, Nigerians would have learnt their lessons. But I doubt if they will cos Nigerians are one lousy and vulnerable lot.

This leaves Enugu Rangers as the only Club never to have been relegated in Nigerian Football league history.

Flets:
Alhaji Rochas strategically executing his mandate in Imo state just like Buhari is doing at the National Level.

By 2019, Nigerians would have learnt their lessons. But I doubt if they will cos Nigerians are one lousy and vulnerable lot.

Is Heartland fc Imo state govt owned?

is Rochas Now the team captain?