Former Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh has opened up about his turbulent relationship with John Obi Mikel, revealing that the former Chelsea midfielder snubbed a face-to-face meeting in London and ignored his messages during his tenure in charge of Nigeria.
Speaking in a viral podcast interview on X, the former Juventus and Ajax star admitted that he now regrets not heeding advice from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to exclude Mikel, Vincent Enyeama, and Emmanuel Emenike due to internal concerns about team cohesion.
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Oliseh detailed how he personally funded a trip from Belgium to the United Kingdom to meet with both Mikel and Victor Moses at an accessible venue in central London, attempting to establish a strong working relationship ahead of key international fixtures.
Describing Mikel’s behavior as “one of the biggest insults” he experienced as manager, Oliseh nevertheless praised Victor Moses for his professionalism during the meeting, noting that Moses shared honest feedback regarding underlying issues in the squad.
“I regret not having listened to the NFF. Because when I took over the job, the first thing NFF told me was to stop inviting three of them (Mikel, Enyeama and Emenike) because they were chaotic to the NFF.
“They were chaotic to the system. I did the same thing for Obi Mikel. With my own money, not the NFF money, I went to the UK, sent a message to the clubs, sent a message to him(Mikel), sent message not only to him but also to Victor Moses, gave them an appointment at a bar that was accessible in the heart of London, with my assistant coach, for two of them to come and have meeting.
“Now, of the two of them, who did not come to the meeting? Obi Mikel did not come to the meeting. Victor Moses came. Obi Mikel did not even respond to the WhatsApp message.
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“Maybe because he’ll say, ‘I play for this big club now,’ but you see, that’s why they say sometimes Sunday (Oliseh) is direct. Where did you play that I did not play? What did you play that I did not play?
“Even though the coach was not a footballer or not as big as you, the fact that they’ve given him that title ‘national team coach’ means you have to respect the position he’s holding.
“I still sat down, and Victor Moses had one of the best discussions with him. And the guy told me then and there what he felt was bothering him with the national team. And the funniest part of what the guy told me was things that I also experienced.
“So the man was really speaking the truth, and that’s why I respect Moses to the earth.”
