Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has launched a blistering critique of Nigeria’s build-up to AFCON 2025, accusing the Nigeria Football Federation of failing to get its house in order weeks before the tournament begins.
Speaking on his ObiOne podcast, Mikel said he was deeply unimpressed by the state of preparations for the finals in Morocco, which kick off on Sunday. He questioned how a national team coach could still be owed salaries at such a sensitive moment for Nigerian football.
“I’m not impressed at all with the preparation. After everything that happened with the World Cup qualifiers, you would expect things to be better,” said Mikel, who has previously called for the resignation of the NFF board following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“How do you owe a coach money at this stage? It’s shameless! This is not how serious football nations operate. When issues like this are in the public space, it affects everyone, the coach, the players and even the fans.
“This was supposed to be the time to save face and show that lessons were learned. Instead, it’s the same story again. You can’t go into the AFCON with unresolved problems. Everything must be sorted now. Nigeria deserves better. Our football deserves better.”
Reports had claimed that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle was owed three months’ salary and bonuses by the NFF ahead of the 2025 AFCON.
