Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has revisited a difficult chapter of his time in charge of Nigeria, revealing that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) warned him against inviting three established internationals to the national team.
Speaking on The Play Zone Podcast, Oliseh said the federation advised him against calling up John Obi Mikel, Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike, describing the trio as players who had caused problems for the NFF.
The former midfielder said he regretted ignoring that advice, recalling how he personally attempted to meet the players and address issues surrounding their involvement with the national team.
“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,” he said.
Oliseh recalled travelling from Belgium to France to meet Enyeama, who was playing for Lille at the time. He said the discussions helped him clarify matters with the former Super Eagles captain.
His attempt to engage Mikel and Victor Moses, however, proved more frustrating.
The London meeting Mikel missed
Oliseh said he travelled to the United Kingdom at his own expense and arranged a meeting in central London for Mikel and Moses, who were both playing in England.
He said Moses attended, but Mikel neither showed up nor responded to his WhatsApp message.
“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,” he said.
READ MORE: Liverpool survive Chelsea scare as penalty shoot-out decides Anfield thriller
The former coach suggested Mikel might have believed his status at a major club placed him above the national team manager.
“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,” Oliseh added.
He described Mikel’s absence as one of the biggest insults he had experienced, although he insisted he did not take it personally.
According to Oliseh, Moses used the meeting to explain his concerns about the national team, including experiences the coach said he could understand.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
Oliseh also offered a different assessment of Emenike, saying his experience of working with the former striker contradicted the initial description he had received.
He described Emenike as a gentleman and a respectful player, placing him among the greatest footballers he had worked with. Oliseh also credited the striker’s influence as an important factor in Nigeria’s triumph at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
Pingback: Sunday Oliseh drops bombshell on why the Super Eagles are failing - The Athletic NG