Heartland FC has been banned from signing new players for the next two registration periods and until the club comply with a ruling by the League Management Company (LMC) in separate complaints of unlawful termination of contract and indebtedness filed by two former players of the club, Maduabuchi Okereke and Fatunwase Alfred Olusegun.
Maduabuchi and Fatunwase had in separate petitions to the LMC dated November 5, 2019, bordering on claims of overdue payables, wrongful termination of contract and compensation. While Maduabuchi laid claims for N10.4 million, Fatunwase asked for N6.3 million.
In its ruling communicated to Heartland FC on February 17, 2020, the LMC noted that the club failed to respond to the claims of the players despite having been invited by the LMC to state its case through a letter dated January 28, 2020. The LMC said the players and the club did execute separate employment contracts (in the form of the NPFL Standard Player Contract), the duration of which was 10th November 2018 to 9th November 2021.