Former Chelsea Midfielder Mikel Replies Trabzonspor President Obsessed With Winning Super Lig

Published: March 20, 2020

John Obi Mikel has aimed a dig at Trabzonspor president Ahmet Agaoglu, saying he's obsessed with winning the Turkish Super Lig, something the club has not managed to do since their last triumph in 1984.

While the former Nigeria international had called on the authorities to postpone the Super Lig following the coronavirus pandemic, Agaoglu wanted the league to continue simply because Trabzonspor were topping the table.

Mikel terminated his contract with Trabzonspor by mutual consent on Tuesday after falling out with Agaoglu over his social media post which he refused to delete when instructed to do so by the club chief.

"Football is the one thing in Turkey that allows people to get rid of their stress, to entertain themselves and to occupy their minds,” Agaoglu told reporters.

"If they suspend the league for a long time, in a month from now there won’t be enough judges to rule on all the divorce cases."

Asked to respond to Agaoglu's comments, Mikel was quoted as saying by the Guardian UK : "It just shows you how the thinking there is.

"I just have to be honest and be brutal with what I’m saying. It just shows that they don’t really care about human life.

"They don’t care about what is going on in the world. All they care about is how to win the league. The reason why I signed for Trabzonspor last summer was to win the league.

"I gave 100% in every game. But in this situation, where the world is facing such a difficult time, I didn’t feel that football should continue."

Mikel's contract with Trabzonspor would have expired in June 2021 if the two parties had honored their initial agreement.

Igho Kingsley