Mikel Dismisses Chelle’s ‘voodoo’ comments

Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has dismissed head coach Eric Chelle’s claim that voodoo was responsible for Nigeria’s World Cup play-off final defeat to DR Congo, calling it a “lame excuse.”

The Malian tactician’s controversial comment has stirred a heated backlash from football fans, analysts, and former players, with Mikel leading the criticism on his podcast.

“If voodoo works in football, do you know how many World Cups Africa would have had?” Mikel said. “What a ridiculous excuse. I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw the comment.”

Instead, Mikel blamed poor preparation, disorganisation, and player unrest for the defeat. According to him, the team’s decision to protest unpaid bonuses and allowances during their World Cup preparation was the real reason behind their underperformance.

“The Super Eagles lost because they chose the wrong time to fight for their bonuses and allowances. That’s not when you do that,” he explained.

The former Chelsea midfielder didn’t spare the Nigeria Football Federation either. He accused them of failing to create a stable environment for the team.

“This will continue to happen because we have the wrong people in charge of our football. Even if you resolve the money issues before the match, the damage is already done to the players’ mentality,” he stated.

It’s worth recalling that the Super Eagles had boycotted training in Morocco in protest of long-standing unpaid bonuses and allowances, some dating back years. The disruption came just before their decisive clash against Gabon and their next qualifier against Congo, severely affecting preparations.