Follow Us on Google
By John Ogunsemore
Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has revealed how he had to break protocol to ensure players got overdue bonuses ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
He said he contacted the office of then-President Muhammadu Buhari after NFF had delayed payments of qualification bonuses owed to the squad for months.
Mikel made the disclosure in an episode of his podcast, The Obi One, released on Tuesday.
“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.
The 2013 AFCON winner explained that FIFA releases funds dubbed “parachute money” ahead of major tournaments, which is meant to be shared among players, and federations usually borrow funds to settle bonuses early before repaying lenders once FIFA payments arrive.
According to him, despite repeated promises from NFF officials that the funds would be released upon the team’s arrival in camp, no action was taken.
Mikel said, “Leading up to the World Cup, we were owed money.
“We had been asking for this money for months before the tournament. They kept telling me, ‘Oh, Mikel, don’t worry, the money will be sorted when you come to camp.’ I said, ‘Okay, no problem, but make sure the money is there because the players are asking me about their bonuses.’”
He said NFF officials repeated the assurances in camp.
“We got to camp, and I spoke to the team secretary and the president. I asked, ‘Where is the money?’ Again, they said, ‘Don’t worry, Mikel, we’ll sort it out.’”
He said the players began to mount pressure on him when the payment did not come through.
He said, “A week went by. The players kept coming to me, saying, ‘Mikel, we need this money. Once the World Cup is over, we don’t know if we’ll ever get it.’”
Other News
He said he had to find a way to contact President Buhari through his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, since the NFF did not keep to its promises.
“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.’
“24 hours later, a private plane arrived. The money was delivered to the hotel, hand-to-hand. Millions of dollars,” he said.
“I took the money and handed it to the team secretary and told him to hold it. I said, ‘Make sure this money does not go to the (NFF) president or anyone else. This money belongs to the players.’”
He stated that the bonuses were calculated and distributed to all players involved in the World Cup qualifiers the following day.
He said the action upset NFF officials, including the federation’s president, who summoned him to a meeting.
“They said, ‘Mikel, why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots,’” he recalled.
“I said, ‘Are you serious? I’ve been asking you for this money for months.’”
“When you fail, I have to take responsibility because my players need the f**king money,” Mikel said.
Mikel emphasised that the funds were rightful earnings from World Cup qualification, not additional incentives.
“This money is owed. It is not a favour,” he said on the podcast.
Nigeria was eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, recording one win against Iceland and losses to Croatia and Argentina. The team earned $16 million in FIFA prize money despite the early exit.
Mikel, who retired from international football in 2019 after 91 appearances, captained Nigeria to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title and an Olympic bronze medal in 2016.
