CAF Confed Cup: Heartland FC face flight hiccup to Gabon

Heartland FC of Owerri were on Thursday forced to shelve their trip to Gabon for a Confederation Cup fixture against US Bitam FC, this weekeend due to lack of seats in the aircraft, according to a club official.

Heartland’s Media Officer, Cajetan Nkwopara, said there was not enough space for its 33-man contingent.

Heartland had defeated their Gabonese opponents 2-1 in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.

“We were scheduled to leave on Thursday, but there were not enough seats to accommodate our 33-man contingent. So we are banking on doing so by Friday and the airline too has promised to provide enough space. It could not even accommodate the players, much less the officials, but they have given us their word and we are hoping on that,’’ he said.

When asked whether the delay could have an adverse effect on the team’s preparation for the match, Nkwopara told NAN that the team would be able to weather the storm.

“If we can leave here early tomorrow and get to Gabon on time, then fatigue will not set in.We didn’t plan it this way, but based on what is on ground, we can’t do more than what we have done,’’ the media officer said.