Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has revealed that he personally contacted the office of the late Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the national team received their bonuses following the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

This came after months of delays by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

 

Mikel disclosed that the players were owed money earned from the World Cup qualification process. Despite repeated assurances from NFF officials, the promised payments were not made after the team had arrived at their camp.

“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 went on to explain how FIFA releases “parachute money” prior to major tournaments, which is intended to be distributed among the players. Typically, federations borrow money to pay bonuses upfront, which is later reimbursed once FIFA payments are received.

 

“Leading up to the World Cup, we were owed money,” Mikel said. “We had been asking for it for months before the tournament. They kept telling me, ‘Don’t worry, Mikel, 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.’”

 

Despite reassurances, the money still wasn’t available when the team arrived 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.’”

As days passed without payment, Mikel said the players grew increasingly anxious. “A week went by, and 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.’”

 

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With no solution in sight, Mikel took matters into his own hands. He contacted Abba Kyari, who was then the Chief of Staff to President Buhari, explaining the urgency of the situation.

“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,’” Mikel recalled.

 

Mikel’s intervention, however, did not sit well with NFF officials. He recalled being summoned to a meeting by the then NFF president, who expressed frustration. “They said, ‘Mikel, why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots,’” Mikel said.

“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,” he added. “This money is owed. It is not a favour.”

 

Mikel emphasized that the funds were not extra incentives but the rightful earnings for the players from their qualification.

Despite a strong showing, Nigeria was eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup after losses to Croatia and Argentina, though they secured a victory over Iceland. The Super Eagles earned $16 million in prize money for their participation, making it their last World Cup appearance to date.

 

After retiring from the national team a year later, Mikel made 91 appearances for Nigeria, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and an Olympic bronze medal in 2016.

 

Source: Punch