Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has said he would be “killed” by his Russian in-laws and friends if Nigeria fails to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup holding in Russia.
Mikel has two kids from his Russian wife Olga Diyachenko.
According to Extrasportsnigeria.com, the Nigerian captain now playing in the Chinese league told FIFA.COM that his Russian family would love to see their in-law leading the Eagles on their home ground.
He said, “My wife is Russian. And many of our relatives and friends are from Russia. They are all expecting Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup. I think they will kill me if I fail them.”
Super Eagles are ahead in Group as Nigeria prepares to host Cameroon in Uyo on August 31 and Mikel strongly believes that the team would maintain the good run for the ticket to Russia.
He said, “We are in a very good position in our group. We have two wins from two games, and in our last game we beat Algeria at home. We have a very good young team and the players play good football. If we can win our next match it will edge us closer to qualification. I think we can go through.”
The former Chelsea midfielder however warned that it could quite tough with current African champions Cameroon.
“As everyone knows, they are a very good team.
“They are strong and they play with confidence. We must get ourselves well prepared for this game and try our best to get on top against them. It won’t be easy but these are important matches. If we win both, we will be almost there.”
Eagles currently top Group B with six points after back-to-back victories against Zambia in Ndola, Zambia and Algeria in Nigeria. Lions of Cameroon are second with two points while the Zambians are third on one point and Algeria are bottom with just a point.