{"id":120959,"date":"2023-11-19T10:47:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-19T10:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/11\/19\/john-obi-mikel-on-african-players-sending-money-to-family-back-home\/"},"modified":"2023-11-19T10:47:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-19T10:47:51","slug":"john-obi-mikel-on-african-players-sending-money-to-family-back-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/11\/19\/john-obi-mikel-on-african-players-sending-money-to-family-back-home\/","title":{"rendered":"John Obi Mikel on African players sending money to family back home"},"content":{"rendered":"

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John Obi Mikel captained Nigeria at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, where the Super Eagles suffered a group-stage exit
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John Obi Mikel says African footballers are effectively subject to an extra tax as they often support extended family and hangers-on back home.<\/p>\n

The former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder has claimed some players are even \u201cthreatened by their own blood\u201d if they do not offer financial assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you come from Africa \u2013 and this is something I don\u2019t think we speak a lot about \u2013 when you make money, it is not your money,\u201d said Mikel, speaking on Rio Ferdinand\u2019s\u00a0Vibe with FIVE.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou have all these relatives, cousins, whatever.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour sisters, they go off and get married to some guy. He just wants to get married into John Obi Mikel\u2019s family because then [he thinks] \u2018my life is sorted\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start looking after this guy and you send money to your sister and the money goes to him and he does whatever he does with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the thing nobody knows about \u2013 your money is not your money.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get a salary and say \u2018I\u2019ll put this aside for this person, put that aside for that person, and put that aside for my mum and dad\u2019. Before you know it, you are getting less than them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the culture. They expect you to do that. For them, you owe them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis story needs to be told. A lot of young African players that are coming up now need to be told this because they will go through similar situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will need to know how to deal with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikel says players have to be strong if they decide to stop assisting others financially, as there can be a backlash.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you have to say \u2018Enough is enough, I don\u2019t care\u2019. For me, that moment came about five years ago,\u201d the 36-year-old added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018No more\u2019, because I have been doing this since I started playing football.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou become the bad guy. They stop answering your phone calls. They are used to calling you \u2013 not to check up on you but to ask \u2018What are you giving me?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be strong enough. I was giving so much to the family.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll you do is keep giving and they are so comfortable that they expect you to do that for the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikel says players could even be emotionally blackmailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey give you this thing whereby \u2018If you don\u2019t do it [pay], we are going to go to the press\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are thinking, \u2018You are family. After all I\u2019ve done for you guys?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Africa, not everybody comes out and speaks about this, because we think \u2018How are we going to talk about this?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get threatened by your own blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kidnapping cases leave players \u2018utterly helpless\u2019<\/h3>\n
\"John
Mikel found out his father had been kidnapped for a second time before Nigeria faced Argentina at the 2018 World Cup, but still played as the Super Eagles were beaten 2-1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mikel has also been reflecting on the impact of his father being kidnapped twice, given Liverpool forward Luis Diaz recently went through a similar scenario.<\/p>\n

The Colombia international\u2019s father was\u00a0freed on 9 November\u00a0after 12 days in captivity.<\/p>\n

Diaz missed two club games during that period but was reunited with Luis Manuel Diaz on Tuesday and\u00a0scored twice for his country against Brazil\u00a0on Thursday, with his father watching on from the stands.<\/p>\n

Even with a positive outcome, Mikel believes such kidnappings can leave enduring and profound marks on a player\u2019s mental and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis type of experience doesn\u2019t leave you, even after your loved ones are back home,\u201d Mikel told BBC Sport Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate we are targets. It\u2019s a difficult situation for anyone to endure and I hope no-one goes through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2011 Mikel\u2019s father, Pa Michael Obi, endured\u00a0a ten-day period in captivity\u00a0before being released. He was then\u00a0abducted again in 2018,\u00a0and Mikel found out while preparing to play for Nigeria against Argentina at the World Cup in Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was kidnapped minutes before one of the biggest games of my career.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was threatened and I was emotionally unsettled while playing on the pitch. It was a very horrific experience for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a situation where you feel utterly helpless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikel has emphasised the need for football clubs, organisations and governing bodies to prioritise the mental health and overall well-being of players grappling with such traumatic circumstances, and encouraged footballers and their families to seek professional support and assistance in times of distress.<\/p>\n

Chelsea the \u2018ideal stage\u2019 for Osimhen<\/h3>\n
\"Victor
Mikel is keen for Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen to join his former club Chelsea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now based in Dubai, Mikel is making waves in broadcasting with his own show, The Obi One Podcast.<\/p>\n

Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen was a recent guest, revealing he turned down a potential move to Saudi Arabia earlier this year\u00a0for the \u201cgood of his career\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mikel says \u201cit would have been a dream\u201d to play with the 24-year-old, a front-runner for the African Footballer of the Year award who was top scorer in Italy\u2019s Serie A last year as Napoli won a first title in 33 years.<\/p>\n

And Mikel is keen for Osimhen to move to London to join his former club, where he believes he has the potential to emulate the success achieved by legendary Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis talent, fighting spirit is obvious,\u201d Mikel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidier Drogba had a great career at Stamford Bridge. Osimhen, as an African, can continue in that path.<\/p>\n

\u201cChelsea is the ideal stage for Victor Osimhen to continue his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

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