By Prosper Olayiwola
Ex- Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, has slammed the corruption affecting Nigerian football, saying it must be eliminated for the sport to progress. Speaking on his ObiOne podcast in a video shared on X this Wednesday, Mikel questioned how FIFA’s alleged $1.2 million grant to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for stadium projects was spent.
“I’ve seen so many pictures, so many conversations about FIFA giving $1.2 million to the NFF to build stadiums. Have you seen that? The corruption has to be rooted out of the game,” he said. 
Mikel urged Nigerians to set aside corruption talks for now and focus on the upcoming World Cup playoff matches. “Now is not the best time to discuss those. This is the time for us to focus on the game at hand playing the playoff game to get to the next round and then qualify,” he added.
He also called on the NFF to motivate players and ensure proper management. “Whatever the NFF have to do to make those players come back, feel comfortable to perform, and give their best for the country, they have to do that right now,” Mikel said, adding that “Don’t depend on Victor Osimhen alone. The team, everybody, needs to perform.”
