Former Chelsea footballer John Obi Mikel has parted ways with his Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor after he refused to play due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The player’s two-year contract was cancelled on Tuesday following his social media post confirming he was not comfortable playing until the coronavirus outbreak was over.
“The professional football player agreement between our company and John Obi Mikel … has been mutually terminated. With a mutual termination agreement, the football player gave up all his forward-looking receivables,” Trabzonspor said in a statement on Tuesday.
In an Instagram post, Mikel called for the cancellation of the league, saying “there is more to life than football”.
“I do not feel comfortable and don’t want to play football in this situation. Everyone should be home with their families and loved ones in this critical time,” the former Nigerian national captain said.
“Season should be cancelled as the world is facing such turbulent times,” he said.