Former Super Falcons coach Ismaila Mabo has countered a recent claim by Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel, who stated that “China is not a place for young footballers to play topflight football.”
Mikel, who earned £140,000-a-week while playing for Tianjin Teda in China, recently relocated to England, where he won the Champions League, two Premier League titles and three FA Cups during his 11 years at Chelsea. He had advised young players intending to make big money moves to China to have a rethink.
But Mabo, who led the Super Falcons to the quarterfinal at USA ’99 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the best performance by any Nigerian coach, told The Guardian yesterday that taking football trade to China is a good adventure for women.
“If Mikel Obi is refereeing to both male and female footballers, then his advice is wrong because China is one of the best football playing nations for women,” Mabo said. Read more