Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has disclosed how he intervened at the highest level of government to ensure Nigerian players were paid their outstanding bonuses during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, following months of delays by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Mikel revealed that his actions led to the delivery of millions of dollars in cash to the team’s hotel via a private jet just days after the tournament began. He made the revelation on his Obi One Podcast, released on Tuesday, where he strongly criticised the NFF over what he described as long-standing failures in players’ welfare management.
According to the former Chelsea midfielder, FIFA releases “parachute money” ahead of major tournaments, which football federations are expected to use—sometimes through advance borrowing—to settle players’ bonuses before later reimbursement.
“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,” Mikel said.
He explained that players were already owed money months before the tournament, despite repeated assurances from NFF officials that the issue would be resolved once the team assembled.
“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, and I have to make sure these bonuses are there when we arrive.
“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.’
“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.’”
With tensions rising and no clear solution in sight, Mikel said he decided to contact Abba Kyari, who was then the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu 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.’”
According to Mikel, the response was swift.
“24 hours later, a private plane arrived. The money was delivered to the hotel, hand to hand. Millions of dollars,” he said.
He added that he immediately handed the cash to the team secretary to prevent any interference.
“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 president or anyone else; I don’t want to leave it in my room. This money belongs to the players.’”
Mikel noted that his intervention angered top football officials, including the then NFF president, who summoned him to a meeting days later.
“They said, ‘Mikel, why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots; we don’t know what we’re doing or our job.’
“I said, ‘Are you serious? I’ve been asking you for this money for months.’
“I gave you the benefit of the doubt, I respected you, and I didn’t want to go above you from the start, which I could have done.
“When you fail, I have to take responsibility because my players need the f**king money,” Mikel said. “This money is owed. It is not a favour.”
Beyond the World Cup bonus controversy, Mikel also raised concerns about the recent retirement of William Troost-Ekong from international football, describing the timing as suspicious and uncharacteristic.
“You cannot have your leader, Captain, retire two weeks before a major tournament; you cannot have that happen. There’s something going on there that has not been made public right now. I know Troost-Ekong very well; he’s not the guy that quit; he’s very passionate and loves his country.
“For him to retire three weeks before the tournament [AFCON], there’s something ongoing. Even if he’s not a starter or playing anymore, as a leader, someone that I know, he’s not the selfish guy who says, ‘I have to be on the pitch.’ I believe he’s the leader that helps the young guys.”
Mikel concluded by criticising the current structure of Nigerian football administration, insisting that progress would remain impossible without significant changes at the NFF.
“If Nigerian football must go forward, they [NFF] have to go. It’s crazy that we’re killing the talent and potential that we have in this country just because of greed from people that don’t want to do the right thing, that don’t want to get football back to where it should be. People that don’t have an idea of how to treat players grow the football in our country,” he said.
