Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has revealed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) advised him against inviting John Obi Mikel, Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike to the national team when he assumed the coaching role.

Oliseh said the federation described the three former internationals as players who were causing problems for the NFF, adding that he regretted ignoring the advice.

Speaking on The Play Zone Podcast, the former midfielder recounted how he attempted to resolve issues surrounding the players by meeting them individually.

“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,” he said.

Oliseh recalled travelling from Belgium to France to meet Enyeama, who was playing for Lille at the time, to discuss matters concerning his involvement with the national team.

He also said he travelled to London at his own expense to meet Mikel and Victor Moses, who were both playing in England, but was disappointed when Mikel failed to attend the scheduled meeting.

According to Oliseh, he contacted the players and their clubs before arranging the meeting at a location in central London, alongside his assistant coach.

“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 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.

“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 said.

The former coach suggested that Mikel might have felt his status at a major European club placed him above the national team manager.

Oliseh stressed that players must respect the authority of whoever is appointed to lead the national team, regardless of their individual achievements or club affiliations.

He described Mikel’s failure to attend the meeting as one of the biggest insults he had experienced, although he said he did not take the incident personally.

Oliseh, however, spoke favourably about Emenike, describing the former striker as a gentleman and a respectful player. He also credited Emenike’s contribution to Nigeria’s triumph at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, describing him as one of the finest players he had worked with.

The former coach’s account highlights the difficulties he said he encountered while managing relationships with senior players during his time in charge of the Super Eagles.

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