Monday, June 23, 2025 - Former Nigeria U-23 coach Samson Siasia has refuted recent claims made by ex-Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel. Mikel alleged that he personally paid for the team’s flight to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mikel stated this during a recent podcast appearance hosted
by former England international Peter Crouch. He claimed that Nigerian football
authorities failed to reimburse him for the flight expenses to Brazil, even
though these costs were already included in the official budget. Mikel also
accused top officials of diverting the allocated funds.
“There is a story where you paid for everyone’s flight,”
Crouch asked.
“Yeah, for the Olympics,” Mikel responded. “There was no
money to pay for the flight. For most of these players, it was their first
major tournament. So I thought, why not? But to this day, I still haven’t been
reimbursed.”
Crouch then asked, “Wait, so you got a medal and have still
not been paid?”
Mikel replied, “Nope.”
However, Siasia refuted this version of events in an
interview with Nigerian journalist Callistus Ebare.
“Mikel Obi did not pay any flight money for the Olympic
Eagles from the United States to Brazil,” Siasia stated.
“We only had issues with hotel bills. I think he did
pay for some hotel expenses, but not for flights.”
According to Siasia, the team travelled with Delta Airlines
after Nigerians in the U.S. expressed concerns about the situation. He
mentioned that a friend contacted the airline’s chairman, which led to a
resolution of the issue.
“Yemi Idowu had earlier paid for flight tickets, but the
aircraft provided was too small. If Mikel has any receipts, he should show
them. As the head coach, I can confirm he didn’t cover those flight costs.”
Taking a swipe at Mikel, Siasia added, “Maybe he is broke
and looking for money. He should try other means.
Despite facing logistical challenges, the U-23 Eagles ultimately secured the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, which became Nigeria's only medal at the Games. The team arrived in Brazil just hours before their opening match against Japan, where they triumphed with a score of 5-4.
Following this win, they achieved a 1-0 victory over Sweden, allowing them to qualify for the quarter-finals, even after a 2-0 loss to Colombia in their final group match. Mikel scored in the 2-0 quarter-final victory against Denmark. However, Nigeria faced a 2-0 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals but bounced back to defeat Honduras 3-2 and ultimately claim third place.
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