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Former
Super Eagles midfielder, Emeka Ezeugo has been relieved of his position
as the assistant coach of Nigerian Premier League side, Heartland FC.

The club’s media officer Cajetan Nkwopara said Ezeugo was officially sacked by the Owerri-based side on Monday.

He also revealed
that plans were underway to fill the vacant position, but declined to
disclose the names of those shortlisted for the job of assisting the
club’s chief coach Samson Siasia, whose job, he insists, remains intact
despite the club’s early exit from this year’s CAF Champions League.

“A couple of names have been mentioned but as far as Siasia is concerned, his job is safe,” said the Heartland official.

Ezeugo joined
Heartland prior to the commencement of their CAF Champions League
campaign on the recommendations of Siasia with whom he played alongside
in the Super Eagles beginning from the 1988 Seoul Olympics to the 1994
World Cup in the United States of America.

“Yes, I got the
letter on Monday,” Ezeugo told Supersport.com on Wednesday. “The issue
of sack is often synonymous with the life of a coach because it is
either you’re hired or fired. But I will be leaving Owerri for Lagos
now because for me life must go on.”

Contract dispute

According to the
club’s chairman, Ignatius Okehialam, Ezeugo’s stay with the former
Nigerian league and FA Cup champions had to be cut short after he
refused to accept the club’s contractual terms thus leaving the club’s
management with no option than to end his stint with the side.

“After I discussed
with Emeka alongside his lawyer and his brother, I made an offer,”
Okehialam told Supersport.com. “He said he was going to consider it. He
came back to state his terms and I told him that I cannot go beyond my
offer for him.

“So he started work
and I made a contract and gave to him, which he read. I also asked if
the contract was okay with him and he said it was. We begged him to
sign the contract but he didn’t, and I didn’t have a contract to be
able to get out money for him since Heartland is owned by the Imo State
government. So something had to happen at some point.

“But I must say that Emeka is a fantastic person and I’d have loved
to work with him but unfortunately this had to happen and I wish him
the best,” said the Heartland boss.