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Brazil 2014: Eagles were not organised-Mikel

Nigeria captain Mikel Obi has cited lack of proper organization as the reason why the Super Eagles failed to go beyond the round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

“There were a lot of problems in the camp which a lot of people didn’t see, the media didn’t see – we kind of hid it under the table,” Mikel told The Guardian. “The relationships between the players were not good and there was no discipline. There was no good feeling, no good vibe.

“It almost got to people being pinned up against dressing-room walls, although not quite. It was confrontation and arguments. Players wanted to do their own thing and they didn’t think about the team.

“African teams always tend to have problems inside the team. It might be bonuses, friendships, organisation. If the Nigerian teams were as well organised as the Europeans, we would have won the World Cup by now. In Brazil, the financial aspect was a massive problem. Players didn’t want to train, they wanted to go on strike because they hadn’t received the bonus. This has to stop. We’ve stressed that it has to be sorted out this time.”

He also referred to events after the 2010 World Cup that made former president, Goodluck Jonathan, suspend Nigeria from football for two years.

“There were massive problems in the camp and that’s why the president got upset,” Mikel explained in the interview. “He said: ‘Until you guys fix yourselves up, that’s it. No more.’ The public were upset but they were in support of it because they also wanted whatever was going on to stop. We couldn’t keep going to tournaments and making a mockery of ourselves.”

He said the appointment of Gernot Rohr, brought changes to the team.

“The coach and myself, as captain, have tried to make these young players realise that we are a team, not individuals,” Mikel added. “If you don’t want to play together, you are welcome to leave. It’s amazing now to go to camp. You can feel the good feelings.

“I have been in the national team since 2005 and I haven’t seen this discipline before. It is meetings, being on time, the training. Sometimes a player has the hump because he knows he is not going to make the team and, before in the national team, he just strolls around. Now, you have to train properly. If you don’t, you are leaving the camp. The coach has changed the whole mentality.”

Eagles take on England on Saturday in a friendly at the Wembley Stadium

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