Speaking to Trustsports shortly after his club’s last league match against Niger Tornadoes, the former Beach Eagles handler disclosed that the players are owed fifty percent sign on fees, six match bonuses and two months salary which has made it practically impossible for the players to give out their best performances.
He said that in as much as the team will go back and concentrate on the continental title chase, Heartland’s success will depend very much on the extent to which the club’s management would be able to motivate the players.
“The players are owed salaries, sign on fees and match bonuses and therefore could not concentrate fully on their game. We wanted to enforce discipline but we had no more grounds to do so because we are aware of what is happening.
“Had it been they are not owed any money, we would have been in a better position to curtail some of the player’s excesses. But come to think of it, how do you discipline a hungry player because a hungry man is said to be an angry man” he stated
The coach explained that the coaching crew may have brilliant ideas but if the players who are the main actors refuse to execute such plans to specifications, whatever effort that is put into the project would amount to nothing.
“ We hope to go back and concentrate on the CAF Champions League but my worry is that if the present conditions remains the same, I am afraid we may not make any head way. The players must be motivated to execute our programmes” he maintained.
He, therefore called on the club’s management to pay more serious attention to the welfare of the players as according to him, the players had to endure a lot of hardship to get the club this far in both the CAF Champions League and the domestic league.
Emetole reiterated that if the management of the club refuses to heed to his advice, the club may fail in its bid to win the coveted CAF Champions league trophy because the coaching crew will not have the moral grounds to enforce discipline in the team.
The coach however commended his players for doing their best to post good results in both the domestic league and the CAF Champions league as he noted that they had to endure a lot of hardship while shuttling between the two competitions.
“I must commend my players who sacrificed a lot to get us this far. We have not done badly given the circumstances on ground. It was not easy most of the time but they showed some measure of self control and commitment which ensured that we ended up second on the league table. We are hoping to achieve me in the continent” he assured.
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