From Spain to Owerri: Emmanuel Amunike Shares Reasons for Taking Heartland FC Job

In a bid to revive the fortunes of Heartland FC, former Nigerian international Emmanuel Amunike has returned to his home club, Heartland FC as the head coach.

The move was a surprised from the former Nigeria player came unexpectedly, despite having received lucrative offers from abroad and being based in Spain with his family.

This unexpected choice has raised eyebrows, given the attractive alternatives available to him.

Although, born and brought in Imo state, this was more likely a payback to his root for Amunike.

Amunike, just like other ex-international who decided to leave the shores of foreign lands to take up management positions, told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview the reason for his homecoming was determined to restore its pride of place in Nigerian football.

The 1994 African footballer of the year added that his appointment was to salvage the existing problems like relegation battles that has tarnished the image of his home club. 

Heartland Falling from Grace to Grass

Heartland of Owerri, one of the biggest clubs in the southeastern part of Nigeria has faced big retrogression in the last one decade. With the club representing Nigeria on the continent and amassing about five league titles have now become a team struggling in the relegation waters.

However, the era of struggle at Heartland FC is poised to come to an end, thanks to a clear mandate from the state Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodinma to transform the team.

With this backing, Coach Emmanuel Amunike has set his sights on a bold new era, aiming to establish the club as a formidable force in Nigerian football, capable of challenging for top honors alongside established powerhouses like Rangers and Enyimba.

“The Governor did not mince words on the day of my inauguration. He clearly stated that he wants me to take the club to what it used to be. So l came back to help in making sure the team challenges for titles like Rangers, Enyimba and other big clubs.”

Proper Recruitment and Structure

The Naze Millionaires as Heartland are fondly called have proved otherwise of their name as the club babe struggled in recent years to compete in the top-flight league. In the last five seasons, the club has been relegated twice courtesy of poor management and inadequate recruiting.

To achieve this, Amunike added that he has overseen a massive overhaul of the squad, bringing in 30 new players, mostly young and exciting talents eager to learn and make a mark.

“We needed to start from scratch. We looked at the old players and retained a few of them.
We got new players that we believe will give us what we want 
The new players are young, exciting, and ready to go. They are also teachable and ready to learn.”

He added that he’s undaunted by the prospect of relegation, confident that his young team will gain valuable experience and ruffle feathers as the season progresses.