Lagos – Cajetan Nkwopara, Media Officer, Heartland FC of Owerri, on Sunday urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to probe the illegal transfer of three players of the club to Rangers International of Enugu.
Nkwopara made the call in a news statement issued in Owerri and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He identified the players as Orji Okagbue, Osas Okoro and Bobby Clement.
The official maintained that the players “had been illegally transferred to Rangers’’ without the consent of the club or League Management Company (LMC).
He said the club was demanding for full investigation by the NFF and LMC on those that sanctioned the “illegal transfers.”
The club’s media officer explained that the three players registered and played for Heartland last season  before they were given one year provisional clearance to move to Rangers International by the Arbitration Committee.
Nkwopara said that the claim by the players that they were owed salaries at Heartland was “completely false as the club was up-to-date with players’ wages as at Jan. 16.”
He said that the club only owed some of the old players their balance of sign-on fee for the previous season which the players had agreed in a meeting with the state government, to be paid  in instalment.
The club’s spokesman said that the arbitration committee had never invited the club to respond to allegations on players’ wages.
Nkwopara said that the club would take legal action if necessary to ensure that justice was done.