Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has revealed that he bypassed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and contacted the office of then-President Muhammadu Buhari, through his Chief of Staff Abba Kyari, to secure players’ bonuses during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after months of delays. Mikel said the intervention resulted in millions of dollars being delivered via private jet to the team’s hotel just days into the tournament. He made the disclosure on his Obi One Podcast on Tuesday, criticising the NFF for repeated failures in handling players’ welfare and bonus payments.
Mikel explained that FIFA provides “parachute money” ahead of major tournaments, which federations usually use—sometimes through borrowing—to pay players’ bonuses before being reimbursed. “Talking about fighting for players’ bonuses, I went above the president of the NFF to get those bonuses, which is what I did a couple of times during the World Cup,” he said.
He described the period leading up to the tournament: “We were owed money for months. We kept asking for it, and they would say, ‘Mikel, don’t worry, it will be sorted when you come to camp.’ I said, ‘Okay, but make sure the money is there because the players are asking me about their bonuses.’ “When we got to camp, I spoke to the team secretary and the president and asked, ‘Where is the money?’ Again, they said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.’ A week went by, and the players kept coming to me, worried they might never get paid.”
Frustrated with the delays, Mikel said he reached out to Abba Kyari, then Chief of Staff to President Buhari. “I called him and said, ‘Mr Chief of Staff, we have a serious issue in the national team. We need this money to settle the players. This is what was promised.’” “Within 24 hours, a private plane arrived and delivered the money to the hotel—millions of dollars,” he said. “I handed it to the team secretary and told him to hold it. I said, ‘Make sure this money does not go to the president or anyone else; I don’t want to leave it in my room. This money belongs to the players.’”
Mikel added that his actions angered senior officials, including the then NFF president, who summoned him for a meeting two days later. “They said, ‘Mikel, why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots.’ I said, ‘Are you serious? I’ve been asking for this money for months. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but when you fail, I have to take responsibility because my players need the money. This is not a favour; it is owed.’”
He also commented on William Troost-Ekong’s recent international retirement, describing it as unusual and likely tied to unresolved internal issues. “You cannot have your captain retire two weeks before a major tournament. There’s something going on that hasn’t been made public. I know Ekong; he’s passionate and loves his country. Even if he isn’t a starter, he’s the kind of leader who supports the younger players.”
Beyond these incidents, Mikel criticised the current state of football administration in Nigeria, insisting real progress requires reform at the NFF. “If Nigerian football must move forward, the NFF has to change. It’s unacceptable that talent is being wasted because of greed and mismanagement. People who don’t know how to treat players shouldn’t be running football in this country.”
Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/
