John Obi Mikel, a former captain of the Super Eagles, has launched a scathing attack on Nigeria’s preparation for AFCON 2025, accusing the Nigeria Football Federation of neglecting to organize itself just weeks before the competition starts.
Mikel expressed his displeasure with the quality of preparations for the finals in Morocco, which begin on Sunday, in an interview with his ObiOne podcast. At such a delicate time for Nigerian football, he questioned how a national team coach could still be owed pay.
“The preparation has not impressed me at all. Mikel, who has called for the removal of the NFF board after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, stated, “You would expect things to be better after everything that happened with the World Cup qualifiers.”
“At this point, how do you owe a coach money? It’s blatant! This is not how serious football countries function. Everyone is impacted when problems like this occur in public, including the coach, the players, and even the spectators.
“This was meant to be the moment to demonstrate that lessons were learnt and salvage face. Rather, it’s the same tale once more. You cannot bring unresolved issues to the AFCON. Now, everything needs to be resolved. Nigeria is deserving of better. Better is what our football needs.
According to reports, the NFF owes Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle three months’ worth of salary and bonuses prior to the 2025 AFCON.
Shehu Dikko, the chairman of the National Sports Commission, reportedly disclosed on Monday that the commission had intervened to pay Chelle’s salary even though it was not a party to his contract.
“Even though we’re not a party to the contract, the NSC has been paying Eric Chelle’s (Super Eagles coach) salaries on behalf of the NFF,” Dikko stated on Arise Television. “This is a component of our assistance to the NFF.”
Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania will be in Group C at AFCON 2025. Nigeria’s first match against Tanzania is set for December 23 in Fès.
The Super Eagles’ only pre-AFCON friendly, which took place on Tuesday in Cairo, ended in a 2-1 loss to Egypt.
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