Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has disclosed the steps he took to ensure that players received their bonuses after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Speaking on an episode of The Obi One Podcast released on Tuesday, the footballer revealed that Nigeria’s players were owed money earned from qualifying for the tournament, and the money refused to materialise despite repeated assurances from officials.
He stated that he had to contact the office of the late Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari before the players were paid.
“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 FIFA releases what is known as parachute money ahead of major tournaments, which is meant to be shared among players, while federations typically borrow funds to settle bonuses early before repaying lenders once FIFA payments arrive.
“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.
According to Mikel, those assurances were repeated even after 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,’” Obi stated.
He said players grew increasingly concerned as days passed without payment.
“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,’” he added.
With no resolution forthcoming, Mikel said he contacted the late Abba Kyari, who was then the Chief of Staff to President 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.
“24 hours later, a private plane arrived. The money was delivered to the hotel, hand to hand. Millions of dollars.
“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. This money belongs to the players,’” he said.
He added that the bonuses were calculated and distributed to all players involved in the World Cup qualifiers the following day.
