Heartland FC and Abia Warriors may soon face stiff sanctions from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Disciplinary Committee following multiple reports of non-compliance with Players’ Status Arbitration Committee (PSAC) rulings and agreed settlement terms.
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Both clubs were recently reported for failing to honour settlement agreements reached with former players and after rulings by the PSAC in June 2024.
Cases, Ruling and Defaults
In the case involving players Chukwude Stephen, Momoh Peter, Itodo Ocheme, Aputazie Leonard, and Ezekiel Bassey, Heartland FC had reached a formal settlement agreement with the players on October 14, 2024. However, the club reportedly defaulted on the payment plan outlined in the agreement specifically Clause 2 by deliberately refusing to pay monthly instalments beginning November 2024.
As of April 2025, the unpaid sum owed to the players has accrued to N23,000,000 (Twenty-Three Million Naira).
The players have now submitted a formal complaint to the NFF Disciplinary Committee, seeking enforcement and sanctions against the club.
Similarly, players Alegbe Victor, Ikedinachi Nwakanma, and Obinna Julius represented by sports agency Myron Top Class Sports Outfit have also lodged a complaint against Abia Warriors FC.
The PSAC had ruled in favour of the players in June 2024, ordering the club to pay a total sum of N12,000,000 (Twelve Million Naira).
While Abia Warriors initially made staggered payment amounting to the sum of N6,000,000, they have since failed to remit the outstanding balance.
With no further communication or effort to resolve the matter, the players have turned to the NFF Disciplinary Committee for redress.
Possible Sanctions Under FIFA Disciplinary Code
According to Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the failure of a club to comply with a financial or non-financial decision issued by a competent authority, such as a federation committee or CAS, may result in the following:
1. Anyone who fails to pay another person (such as a player, a coach or a club) or FIFA a sum of money in full or part, even though instructed to do so by a body, a committee, a subsidiary or an instance of FIFA or a CAS decision (financial decision), or anyone who fails to comply with another final decision (non-financial decision) passed by a body, a committee, a subsidiary or an instance of FIFA, or by CAS: (As applicable to the Nigeria Football Federation)
a) will be fined for failing to comply with a decision and receive any pertinent additional disciplinary measure; and, if necessary:
b) will be granted a final deadline of 30 days in which to pay the amount due or to comply with the non-financial decision;
c) may be ordered to pay an interest rate of 18% p.a. to the creditor as from the date of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee rendered in connection to a CAS decision on an appeal against a (financial) decision passed by a body, a committee, a subsidiary or an instance of FIFA;
These provisions are enforceable by national federations, including the NFF, in accordance with FIFA’s global regulatory framework.
With the players now relying on the NFF Disciplinary Committee to enforce justice, both Heartland FC and Abia Warriors FC risk facing severe sanctions unless they comply with the original PSAC rulings and fulfil all outstanding financial obligations.
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