Mikel Obi has given a strong advice to the football body, NFF, as regards to if the Nigeria fails to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, has called for the resignation of the entire Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board should the national team fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria’s qualification hopes suffered a major setback after the Super Eagles were held to a draw by South Africa in their Group C clash. The result leaves Nigeria in third place on 11 points after eight matches, trailing Bafana Bafana of South Africa by six points with just two fixtures remaining.
Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, the 2013 AFCON winner expressed his frustration over the possibility of missing back-to-back World Cups following the team’s absence from Qatar 2022.
“If Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, the entire NFF board has to go. It’s unacceptable,” the former Chelsea midfielder said.
Mikel described the situation as devastating for Nigerians, stressing that a country regarded as Africa’s biggest football nation cannot afford to fail twice in a row. He criticized the NFF for failing to create a conducive environment for players to succeed, insisting that leadership remains the major problem.
“We didn’t qualify for Qatar, the last World Cup, and now it looks like again we are not going to make it. Honestly, I have nothing to say about it. Do you blame the players? No, I don’t blame the players. Yes, the players have to take responsibility for the situation but are you gonna blame the players alone? No,” Mikel explained.
The former midfielder urged the Nigerian government to intervene in the country’s football crisis, calling the current state of affairs unacceptable. Despite the setback, he encouraged fans to continue supporting the team, noting that qualification remains mathematically possible.
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