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Nigeria’s long-suffering football fans
were dealt a cruel blow by the news that the only member of an
uninspiring Super Eagles squad that plays (albeit irregularly) for a
top club – Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel – would not play for the country in
the World Cup starting on Friday.

In characteristic fashion, the team’s
officials gave contradictory accounts of events. The co-ordinator,
Emmanuel Attah was quoted as saying: “We have dropped Mikel from the
World Cup after he told the team he did not want to put his career at
risk as his knee injury has yet to fully heal after a recent surgery.”
Media officer, Idah Peterside reportedly said that “Mikel suffered a
bruise to his ankle and a scan showed that he will not recover on
time.” A few hours later, Mikel issued a statement on Chelsea’s
website. Citing the knee problem, he stated: “I did not want to risk
any further damage, also I think it is in the best interest of the team
for me to withdraw rather than waste a slot.” Significantly, there was
no statement on the Nigerian Football Federation’s website, as was the
case with Michael Essien, whose withdrawal from the World Cup was first
announced on the Ghana Football Association’s website.

It will be recalled that the then
Nigerian Football Association (NFA) suspended Mikel indefinitely from
all national teams in June 2007, after he ruled himself out of a
Nations Cup qualifier against Uganda citing a hamstring injury.

On that occasion, Chelsea sent a letter
on his behalf stating that he was undergoing treatment in London but
failed to release him for independent assessment by Nigeria’s doctors.

As well as missing games for the Super
Eagles, Mikel also failed to respond to calls to play for the country’s
under-23 team. This led to his absence at the 2008 Olympic Games where
the Dream Team lost in the final to an Argentinean team inspired by
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Against this background, Mikel was
under the spotlight from the time he joined the rest of the Super
Eagles squad late at their pre-World Cup training camp in London a week
ago.

The manager Lars Lagerback considered
him fit enough for inclusion in the provision 30-man squad and
repeatedly gave reassurances over his fitness. Although he rested the
midfielder in the friendly against Colombia last weekend Lagerback
explained that “this was just a precaution” and that “there was nothing
wrong” with the player.

Annexe 1 of the FIFA Regulations on the
Status and Transfer of Players provide detailed rules on the release of
players to their national teams.

Paragraph 4 stipulates that: “A player
who due to injury or illness is unable to comply with a call-up from
the association that he is eligible to represent on the basis of his
nationality shall, if the association so requires, agree to undergo a
medical examination by a doctor of that association’s choice.” The
NFA’s request for an independent assessment of Mikel’s apparent injury
in 2007 was denied by the player and Chelsea. On that occasion, the NFA
did not appear to have requested FIFA to sanction either the player or
Chelsea.

Similarly, the statements coming out of
South Africa this time indicate that it was the player, rather than the
NFF, that decided that he could not play in the World Cup.

Again this contrasts with the case of
Michael Essien, who was assessed and ruled out of the World Cup by a
combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association
and Chelsea.

In order to qualify for a work permit
under UK immigration law, a player from outside the European Union must
have played for his country in at least 75% of its competitive “A” team
international matches (including World Cup finals and qualifiers and
the African Cup of Nations finals and qualifiers).

Furthermore, the player’s country must
be at or above 70th place in the official FIFA World Rankings when
averaged over the 2 years before the date of the application.

Therefore, any Nigerian footballer who
does not otherwise have a right to work in the UK cannot play
professional football in England or Scotland or Wales unless he plays
for Nigeria consistently and Nigeria maintains a decent ranking by FIFA.

Indeed, it is fair to say that had
Mikel not been recalled to the Super Eagles following his apology to
the nation in 2008, he would not qualify for a work permit under UK law
today.

Footballers’ careers are extremely
short, as they are dependent on their bodies that are constantly
exposed to risk and subject to rapid decline. Therefore, it is
perfectly understandable that they should take scrupulous care of
themselves, especially as they depend on football to provide for them
and their dependents long after their retirement.

But the privileged position footballers
enjoy in their countries of origin should come with some
responsibility, particularly where they rely on playing for their
country to further their careers abroad. In these circumstances, no
player should be allowed to use and dump his country when it suits him.
This is why FIFA empowers the local football associations to have the
final say on matters relating to the participation of eligible players
in international competitions.