Sunday Oliseh Reveals Regret Over Ignoring NFF Warning About Mikel, Enyeama, Emenike

Former Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh has disclosed that he regrets ignoring an alleged warning from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) concerning the invitation of John Obi Mikel, Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike to the national team.

Oliseh made the revelation while recounting his experiences during his time in charge of the Super Eagles, explaining that the federation had raised concerns about the three players before he assumed the coaching role.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the former Juventus midfielder shared the account in a podcast video that circulated on social media platform X, where he discussed some of the challenges he encountered while managing the national team.

Oliseh claimed that the NFF had advised him against inviting Mikel, Enyeama and Emenike, alleging that their involvement had created difficulties for the federation and the national team structure.

He said he later regretted disregarding the advice, citing an incident involving Mikel, who allegedly failed to attend a meeting arranged in London despite the coach travelling from Belgium to meet him.

According to Oliseh, he had travelled to the United Kingdom at his own expense to meet Mikel and Victor Moses to discuss issues affecting the Super Eagles. He explained that he contacted their respective clubs and sent messages to the players before arranging a meeting at a bar in central London, accompanied by his assistant coach.

However, while Moses reportedly attended the meeting, Oliseh claimed that Mikel neither showed up nor responded to his WhatsApp message.

The former coach suggested that Mikel’s status as a player at a prominent European club might have influenced his attitude towards the invitation. He stressed that representing a major club should not prevent a player from showing respect to the person occupying the position of national team coach.

Oliseh described the alleged snub as one of the biggest insults he experienced during his tenure but maintained that he decided not to take the incident personally.

He emphasised that respect for the office of the national team coach was essential, regardless of the individual’s playing career or reputation.

In contrast, Oliseh praised Moses for attending the meeting and engaging in what he described as a productive discussion about the challenges confronting the Super Eagles.

He said the former Chelsea winger openly explained his concerns about the national team, adding that several of the issues raised were consistent with difficulties Oliseh had personally encountered.

According to the former coach, Moses’ willingness to speak honestly about the problems earned him considerable respect.

Oliseh maintained that the discussion helped him better understand the player’s perspective and commended Moses for being forthcoming about his experiences with the national team.

His comments have revived conversations about player-coach relationships, discipline and the challenges of managing prominent footballers in the Super Eagles setup.