Arsenal fans hacked my Instagram — MIkel Obi reveals abuse faced from Gooners

Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has revealed on The Obi One Podcast that his Instagram account was hacked, and he has faced street harassment from Arsenal fans following his recent critique of the club's playstyle. 

The 2013 AFCON winner sparked massive outrage when he launched a brutal diatribe against Mikel Arteta's side, accusing them of "cheating" and relying heavily on set-pieces to win matches. 

Mikel has doubled down on his attack on Arsenal, outright calling the Gunners’ fanbase "delusional.” He also accused some members of the fanbase of having attempted to hack his account.

“They've been stopping me on the stress, coming up to me. I was hanging out with my daughter; few Arsenal fans came to me, and they were like, ‘Who are they?’”

“It's just this delusional team that they that are the best in the UK, in England, and they haven't won anything in 23 years and you're meant to be this best?”

Mikel’s comments are a reaction to Arsenal's efficient set-piece tactics masterminded by specialist coach Nicolas Jover, which have pushed them closer to winning the 2025/26 Premier League title.

The underlying numbers emphatically prove the Gunners' historic dead-ball dominance; they currently lead the English top flight with a staggering 21 set-piece goals this season, which accounts for a massive portion of their 61 total league goals. 

This ruthless efficiency from corners and free-kicks has been the ultimate "cheat code" propelling Arsenal to the top of the table, where they currently sit in first place with 70 points from 31 matches, nine points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand.