'Mikel should stop' - Former Ghana FA spox slams Super Eagles icon for disparaging ex-Chelsea boss

Former Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Ibrahim Saanie Daara has taken issue with former Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel for undermining the coaching abilities of ex-Black Stars coach Avram Grant, Soccernet.ng reports.

Grant steered Chelsea into the Champions League and League Cup finals and guided the club to contest the Premier League title to the last day.

Still, the Israeli’s contract was terminated at the end of the season

In a recent podcast, Mikel Obi expressed doubts about Grant’s coaching competence, stating,

“He wasn’t a coach; he didn’t even have any idea what he was doing. All he was doing was telling stories about Michael Jordan, but somehow things worked out for him and he got us to the Champs League final.”

Responding to these claims, Saanie Daara, now a senior CAF media officer, refuted Mikel Obi’s assertions, emphasising Grant’s coaching prowess.

Saara suggested that Mikel focus on finding employment after retirement rather than disrespecting accomplished individuals.

“Mikel should stop disrespecting worthy people and find a job to do. A man with a top UEFA license excelled in coaching—led Chelsea to the final of the Champs League, Ghana to the Afcon final, and revived Zambia—can’t be operating just on luck. He must be doing something right,” Daara wrote on X.

Saanie Daara, who played a role in Grant’s appointment as Black Stars coach in 2014, highlighted Grant’s achievements, including leading Ghana to the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties.

Avram Grant currently serves as the head coach of former AFCON champions Zambia.