Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has called on the Federal Government to dissolve the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board if the national team fails to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, blasting the body's leadership for disorganization that he says has jeopardized the squad's chances in the ongoing qualifiers.

On his Obi One Podcast, the ex-Chelsea midfielder laid bare the mounting frustration among fans, warning of widespread devastation if Nigeria misses out for the second straight tournament. "I feel for the people of my country. I feel for the people of Nigeria because they are going to be devastated right now. Again for the second time running we are not going to qualify for the World Cup," Mikel said. He doubled down: "If we don’t make it to the World Cup, the whole board of the NFF—they need to go. They need to go. Sorry, they have to go if we don’t qualify for the World Cup."

Mikel pointed to Nigeria's humiliating miss for the 2022 Qatar edition and the eerie parallels now, insisting the continent's self-proclaimed football powerhouse can't afford another flop. "We didn’t qualify for Qatar, and now it looks like again we are not going to make it. Honestly, I have nothing to say about it. I am saying it right now—they must go because it’s not acceptable. Twice, we don’t qualify for the World Cup. We are the biggest footballing country in Africa. I don’t care what anybody says—Mo Salah, Egypt, whatever. Nigeria is the biggest football nation in Africa. A drastic change has to be done. If the government have to get involved, they have to get involved."

The Super Eagles' campaign hit a snag with a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein on September 6, leaving them third in Group C—six points behind leaders Rwanda—with only two matches remaining: against Benin Republic on September 17 and Rwanda on October 15. Under current coach Éric Chelle, appointed in January after a turbulent period including Bruno Labbadia's brief stint, the team has shown flashes of promise but faltered on consistency, drawing criticism for poor preparation and player welfare.

Mikel, who led Nigeria to the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 and captained the side in Russia 2018, placed much of the onus on NFF mismanagement rather than the players alone. "The biggest problem is from the top," he argued, urging better motivation and comfort for stars returning to don the green-and-white. While advocating for change, he rallied fans not to abandon hope: "Still, the dream’s not dead and buried yet. We have two games left. We have to support the team behind the team."