Don't get it twisted, Love is a beautiful thing– I have always been a fan of John Mikel Obi. And this is an admiration that has panned six years, since he first burst into prominence in 2005.

The class of 2005 was special. I am yet to find anyone who will argue against the group of boys that represented Nigeria in the Youth Championship held in the Netherlands. From Taiye Taiwo, the explosive full back with a vicious left foot to Ogbuke, the electric winger, the football sometimes was magical. They were only stopped in their tracks at the finals by Argentina.

At the hub of all the creative play was a lanky Mikel Obi. Prodigiously gifted, deceptively quick and blessed with a marvellous range of passing, Mikel was hailed as a hybrid of two of Nigeria's best players, Kanu Nwankwo and Jay Jay Okocha. Trust us to become emergency soothsayers. We looked into our crystal balls and prophesied that he was the Messiah that would salvage Nigeria's football reputation which was hitting rock bottom. When he eventually moved to Chelsea after a summer of wrangling that involved Manchester United, we sat back in our arm chairs and nodded. Our predictions were coming through. So we thought.

It's sometime in June 2010. The National team's coach at the time, Lars Lagerback announces that Mikel will not be playing at the World Cup. He said: “An injury in football is never a disaster. It's very sad for Mikel, and of course for the Super Eagles – he has been one of the best players for Nigeria. So of course we will miss him, but at the same time other players will step in, so it all works, I know it's a cliché, but it all works. The players have really been professional in training and everything." The Super Eagles were ousted in the very first round and tongues wagged. Everyone said if the Chelsea man was in the squad, it would have turned out differently.

Right up till July in 2011 when his father was kidnapped, Mikel was still the nation's darling. When news of the abduction of his father filtered into our homes, many could not believe it. The rhetorical question was: “Is this the best way to appreciate the efforts of our soccer stars that sweat under sun and rain to bring glory to our dear nation with their God given talent?” Security forces swung into action and within days, Mikel Obi Snr. was found.

October 2011. The Super Eagles, after an abysmal 2-2 draw against Guinea will not be featuring at next year's Africa Cup of Nations. The blame game is on and one of the names that recur is Mikel Obi. It didn't just start with that match. Before then, Mikel had been involved in several cases of indiscipline with either the coaches or the football federation. He, in fact reported at the Super Eagles camp for the game late and when a fine of $5,000 was allegedly imposed on him, he said in an interview he had done nothing wrong and would not pay a dime.

At that point, no eyebrows were raised. It didn't matter. The bigger matter was ensuring Nigeria's presence at the continental fiesta that will be staged in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year. It was a winner-takes-it-all duel. Nigerians expected to see the players roll up their sleeves and fight for 90 minutes. So when Mikel had his hands on his waist after half an hour, holding on the ball far too long and strolling around lazily when he didn't have it, the jury was out quite early. By the end of the game, Siasia – who many felt should have pulled him out, Aiyenugba and Osaze had joined the list.

But it was Mikel we were most fed up with. Before now, Siasia was the Nigerian coach we ascribed all messianic attributes to, Aiyenugba was never an issue and Osaze was held in high esteem. It was all about Mikel. Mikel who had turned down several national team invitations, faked injuries, lost all the playmaking qualities that first endeared us to him, sent our hopes crashing, failing us when it mattered the most. I listened with a tinge of disgust as the English commentator that oversaw Chelsea's game against Everton go on about the Blues will not be losing Mikel in January. The greater matter is indeed his compatriots back home, who have lost all every hope in a young man who we expected a great deal from.

Ifreke Inyang
http://www.kickoff.com/news/24919/a-case-against-john-mikel-obi.php

i wasted a lot of time reading up this BEAUTIFUL NONSENSE