Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has sharply criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the team’s preparations for AFCON 2025, accusing the body of failing to get its affairs in order just weeks before the tournament in Morocco.

Speaking on his ObiOne podcast, Mikel expressed disappointment with the state of readiness for the finals, which kick off on Sunday. He questioned how a national team coach could still be owed salaries at such a crucial moment for Nigerian football.

“I’m not impressed at all with the preparation. After everything that happened with the World Cup qualifiers, you would expect things to be better,” Mikel said. “How do you owe a coach money at this stage? It’s shameless! This is not how serious football nations operate. When issues like this are in the public space, it affects everyone—the coach, the players, and even the fans.”

He added, “This was supposed to be the time to save face and show that lessons were learned. Instead, it’s the same story again. You can’t go into AFCON with unresolved problems. Everything must be sorted now. Nigeria deserves better. Our football deserves better.”

Reports had indicated that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle was owed three months’ salary and bonuses by the NFF ahead of AFCON 2025. However, Naija News reports that National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko confirmed the commission had stepped in to cover Chelle’s wages, even though they are not a party to his contract.

“The NSC has been paying the salaries of Eric Chelle (Super Eagles coach) on behalf of the NFF even though we’re not a party to the contract,” Dikko said on Arise Television. “This is part of our support to the NFF.”

Nigeria will compete in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania, opening their campaign against Tanzania on December 23 in Fès. The Super Eagles enter the tournament on the back of a 2-1 friendly defeat to Egypt in Cairo earlier this week.