The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has placed a transfer ban on Nigeria National League (NNL) side Heartland FC for failing to settle outstanding payments owed to former player N’Goran Roland Adjourmani Koffi.
The sanction prevents the Owerri-based club from registering new players for the next three transfer windows.
In a letter addressed to the club, FIFA stated that the ban would remain in force until Koffi’s entitlements are fully paid, adding that the penalty takes immediate effect.
Koffi, an Ivorian midfielder, featured for Heartland during the 2023–24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season before leaving amid contractual disputes over unpaid salaries and allowances.
This latest development deepens the club’s off-field woes, coming just months after the Nigeria Football Federation’s Players’ Status and Arbitration Committee (PSAC) ordered Heartland to settle outstanding wages owed to several former players — including Umah Johnson, Esobe Chukwudi, Ezekiel Bassey, and Ugochukwu Leonard.
Heartland, popularly known as the Naze Millionaires, were relegated from the NPFL at the end of last season and have struggled financially in recent years.
Unless the club clears its debts, FIFA’s ruling means Heartland will be unable to bolster their squad for the foreseeable future — a major setback as they aim to regain promotion to Nigeria’s top flight.
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