Ex-Super Eagles skipper John Obi Mikel has issued a scathing critique of the Nigeria Football Federation’s leadership, insisting that the governing body’s executives should step down after the national team failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The legendary Chelsea midfielder expressed deep frustration over the Super Eagles’ inability to secure a spot in the upcoming global tournament, which is set to be staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
For a nation of Nigeria’s footballing stature, missing two back-to-back editions of the World Cup is viewed as an unacceptable failure by the former captain. Mikel highlighted the discrepancy between the country’s vast resources and its recent lack of results on the world stage. During a recent appearance on talkSPORT, he emphasized that the current administration must take responsibility for this decline.
Regarding the management of the sport in his homeland, Obi Mikel stated:
“It is a hammer blow and I have said it so many times that when you have a country as big as we do, over 300 million people, the biggest country in Africa and we are not going to the World Cup (for a) second time in a row, the FA, the people that are running the FA, should all resign.”
He further lamented the talent currently available in the squad, describing their exclusion from the tournament as a catastrophe for African football:
“We have one of the best teams in Africa, and we are not going to be at the World Cup. It’s a disaster. It’s a disaster.”
Despite the on-field disappointment, a marginal path to qualification remains open via administrative channels. The NFF has lodged a formal protest with FIFA against DR Congo, alleging that the Central African nation utilized ineligible players during their playoff victory last year. While the Nigerian football community awaits a resolution, football’s world governing body is anticipated to deliver a definitive ruling prior to the commencement of the inter-continental playoffs in Mexico later this month.
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