Heartland have voiced their displeasure following what they described as the Nigeria National League’s refusal to grant their request for a slight shift in the date of last weekend’s Conference A clash away to Edel FC in Awka, Completesports.com reports.
Heartland React To NNL Fixture Decision
The match, decided on Saturday at the Awka City Stadium, ended in a scoreless draw — a result that dashed the Naze Millionaires’ promotion ambitions back to the top flight.
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The four-time Nigerian champions raised their frustrations immediately after the final whistle in Awka, directing criticism at the domestic second-tier league organisers for declining their request to move the game to Sunday. The club argued that the shift would have allowed them to recover from their long trip from Lagos following a midweek clash against Inter Lagos.
Travel Fatigue Argument Fuels Heartland Protest
Virtually all officials of the 2009 CAF Champions League finalists questioned the rationale behind the NNL’s refusal to approve their postponement request for the Edel FC fixture, while also rescheduling Inter Lagos’ subsequent match to Monday, 6 April 2026.
“We wrote to the NNL to shift our match against Edel FC to Sunday so that we could rest after our trip from Lagos, but they refused.
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“But the same NNL shifted Inter Lagos’ match to Monday, 6 April. The same Inter that played at home against us on Wednesday still had their next game moved to Monday, while we, who travelled to and from Lagos with its attendant fatigue, were forced to play 48 hours after our return,” the Naze Millionaires officials lamented almost in unison.
NNL Explains Venue Constraint Behind Decision
However, NNL Executive Chairman, George Aluo, responded to the allegations, stating that the refusal to shift the match date was due to the unavailability of the Awka City Stadium on Sunday.
“There was communication to us that Awka City Stadium had been scheduled for a function on Sunday by the Anambra State Government,” Aluo explained.
By Sab Osuji
