Former Nigeria's Senior men's national team head coach Sunday Oliseh has opened up about his strained relationship with former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, revealing that the ex-Nigeria captain ignored his messages and failed to attend a face-to-face meeting arranged in London during his time in charge of the national team.

Speaking in a podcast interview that has gone viral on X, Oliseh admitted that he regrets not following advice from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to stop inviting Mikel, former goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and striker Emmanuel Emenike because of reported concerns about their influence on team cohesion.

The former Juventus and Ajax midfielder explained that he personally funded a trip from Belgium to the United Kingdom to meet Mikel and Victor Moses, hoping to establish a positive working relationship with both players ahead of important international fixtures.

Oliseh described Mikel’s failure to attend the meeting as “one of the biggest insults” he experienced during his tenure as Super Eagles coach.

However, he praised Moses for his professionalism and willingness to engage in an honest discussion about the challenges affecting 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.

“They were chaotic to the system. 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 a 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,” Oliseh said.

According to the former coach, Moses honoured the invitation, but Mikel neither attended the meeting nor responded to his WhatsApp messages.

“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 added.

Oliseh suggested that Mikel’s status at Chelsea might have influenced his attitude, insisting that a player’s club profile should not determine how he relates to a national team coach.

“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 said.

The former Super Eagles manager further praised Moses for being candid during their discussion, revealing that the winger spoke openly about issues he believed were affecting the team.

“I still sat down, and Victor Moses had one of the best discussions with him. And the guy told me then and there what he felt was bothering him with the national team. And the funniest part of what the guy told me was things that I also experienced.

“So the man was really speaking the truth, and that’s why I respect Moses to the earth,” he said.

Oliseh’s latest revelations have reopened discussions about player-coach relationships, discipline and internal dynamics within the Super Eagles during his time as head coach.