Former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has shed light on the financial challenges faced by African footballers who often support extended family members and acquaintances back home.

Mikel, speaking on Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with FIVE, revealed that some players are even threatened by their own family members if they fail to provide financial assistance.

Mikel emphasized that when African players make money, it becomes a shared resource, with relatives, cousins, and others expecting financial support.

He described a situation where sisters marry individuals hoping to benefit from the player's success, creating a financial burden for the player.

According to Mikel, players often allocate portions of their salaries to support family members, and this cultural expectation can lead to players having less income for themselves.

"When you come from Africa - and this is something I don't think we speak a lot about - when you make money, it is not your money," said Mikel, speaking on Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with FIVE.

"You have all these relatives, cousins, whatever.

"Your sisters, they go off and get married to some guy. He just wants to get married into John Obi Mikel's family because then [he thinks] 'my life is sorted'.

"You start looking after this guy and you send money to your sister and the money goes to him and he does whatever he does with it.

"This is the thing nobody knows about - your money is not your money.

"You get a salary and say 'I'll put this aside for this person, put that aside for that person, and put that aside for my mum and dad'. Before you know it, you are getting less than them.

"That is the culture. They expect you to do that. For them, you owe them.

"This story needs to be told. A lot of young African players that are coming up now need to be told this because they will go through similar situations.

"They will need to know how to deal with this."

Mikel says players have to be strong if they decide to stop assisting others financially, as there can be a backlash.

"Sometimes you have to say 'Enough is enough, I don't care'. For me that moment came about five years ago," the 36-year-old added.

"I said 'No more', because I have been doing this since I started playing football.

"You become the bad guy. They stop answering your phone calls. They are used to calling you - not to check up on you but to ask 'What are you giving me?'.

"You have to be strong enough. I was giving so much to the family.

"All you do is keep giving and they are so comfortable that they expect you to do that for the rest of your life."

Mikel says players could even be emotionally blackmailed.

"They give you this thing whereby 'If you don't do it [pay], we are going to go to the press'.

"You are thinking, 'You are family. After all I've done for you guys?'.

"In Africa not everybody comes out and speaks about this, because we think 'How are we going to talk about this?'.

"You get threatened by your own blood."
The footballer stressed the need for young African players to be aware of these challenges and learn how to navigate them.

He explained that players who decide to stop assisting financially may face backlash and become the "bad guy."

Mikel shared his personal experience, stating that he reached a point about five years ago when he decided to set boundaries and stop giving in to constant financial demands.

Mikel also highlighted emotional blackmail as a tactic used, where family members threaten to go to the press if the player refuses to provide financial support.

He expressed the difficulty in speaking openly about these issues in Africa, as there is often a reluctance to discuss such personal matters.

The former footballer urged young African players to be aware of these challenges and learn how to manage expectations and demands from extended family members, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and making personal financial decisions.