Ex-Nigeria star Mikel hits out at Alex Iwobi over controversial video

Former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has called out Alex Iwobi for sharing a video showing the team’s hotel in Morocco ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff fixtures against Gabon and later DR Congo.

The Fulham winger posted a video of the poor conditions at the River Hotel in Rabat, where the Super Eagles were residing. The video elicited debate across social media with fans questioning the seriousness of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with the team preparing for serious matches.

Iwobi should have been instructed to remove it

“Again, Alex Iwobi that picture, maybe it was taken innocently and him posting it up,” Mikel told Obi One Podcast as quoted by Allnigeriasoccer. “But again, as a player, playing in Europe, living in a nice accommodation, you should have known better, two days before the game.

“Don’t put that up, I read the comments, you don’t want that negativity, you don’t want that around two days before the playoff games.”

Mikel continued: “If I was the captain, I would tell him to take that down straight away. Take it off your Instagram, take it down, we don’t need that.

“For me, those are the things that maybe Alex posted that picture innocently, for some reasons, whether it was frustration or not, but don’t put it up on social media. For him to just come out and try to defend himself, all that just plays around, it’s a negativity.”

He concluded: “You don’t need it, you should be concentrating on the games ahead, trying to find a way to win those games because those are the most important things you should be thinking about.”

Nigeria went ahead to beat Gabon 4-1 but their journey to the 2026 World Cup ended after losing 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo after a 1-1 draw in extra time.

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