‘Corruption Has to Stop’: Mikel Demands Overhaul of Nigerian Football Leadership
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has described Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as an ‘absolute shame,’ calling for sweeping changes at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Speaking on the latest episode of his Obi One Podcast on Wednesday, the former Chelsea midfielder lamented the pain of watching the national team miss out on the global stage for the second consecutive time.
‘We failed to qualify twice in a row. It’s a shame we won’t see a striker like Osimhen in his prime there. He’s one of the best and belongs on that stage,’ Mikel said.
The ex-midfield maestro laid the blame squarely on the NFF leadership, accusing the board of repeated administrative failures and an inability to learn from past mistakes.
‘Changes must be made; the whole NFF board has to go, they keep repeating mistakes and have failed at their job,’ he declared.
Mikel went further to expose what he described as the rot at the heart of Nigerian football, alleging that corruption within the federation is ‘incredible.’
He accused the NFF of operating as a ‘cabal’ in which the president ‘answers to the people who put him there’ and who expect regular kickbacks.
He also criticized the federation’s chronic failure to pay players’ winning bonuses, a long-standing issue that triggered a damaging training boycott just days before Nigeria’s crucial playoff against Gabon.
The former captain ridiculed the bizarre ‘voodoo’ episode that surfaced after Nigeria’s penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo, expressing shock at reports that players had been given protective charms.
He dismissed the coach’s post-match claim of supernatural interference as ‘the lamest excuse you can come up with.’
For Mikel, these incidents are symptomatic of deeper mismanagement and corruption that have kept Nigeria out of the World Cup for eight years, twice in succession under the current administration.
‘The corruption has to stop, it has to be rooted out of the game,’ he insisted.
He concluded that until the entrenched syndicate inside the NFF is dismantled and replaced with independent, accountable leadership, Nigerian football will continue to stagnate.
