Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has revealed that he contacted the office of late Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari to ensure players received their bonuses after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after months of delays by the Nigeria Football Federation.
Speaking on an episode of The Obi One Podcast released on Tuesday, Mikel said Nigeria’s players were owed money earned from qualifying for the tournament and that repeated assurances from officials failed to materialise once the team arrived in camp.
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.
He added that the bonuses were calculated and distributed to all players involved in the World Cup qualifiers the following day.
