Former coach of Nigeria’s U23 football team, Samson Siasia, has dismissed recent claims by ex-international, John Obi Mikel, who alleged he funded the team’s trip to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Mikel, who was one of the three overage players selected by Siasia in accordance with tournament rules, had stated in a viral video that he paid for the team’s airfares after they were stranded en route to Brazil, a gesture he says remains unrefunded.
However, in a rebuttal during an interview with AIT Sports’ Omonfoma Ebare, Siasia clarified that the former Chelsea midfielder never covered flight costs.
“Mikel Obi did not pay any flight money for Olympic Eagles from United States to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics. Nothing like that,” Siasia told Totorinews.com.
The former national team coach acknowledged that while Mikel may have taken care of some hotel expenses, the flights were taken care of through other channels.
“We only had issues with hotel bills. I think, he did pay for some of the hotel bills, but that of the flight from United States to Brazil, Mikel did not pay for that.
“Delta Airline flew us because Nigerians in the United States were agitated over the issue. A friend of mine went to Delta Airline chairman and they resolved the matter,” Siasia explained.
He further revealed that an earlier effort was made to handle the team’s travel arrangements, but due to aircraft size constraints, adjustments had to be made.
“Yemi Idowu had earlier paid for the team’s flight tickets, but the aircraft was too small. If Mikel has the receipt to that effect, let him show Nigerians that he was the one who paid.
“Mikel did not pay for any flight tickets of the team. I say this as the head coach of the team then. He should bring the receipt, if he paid.
“May be he is broke and looking for money. He should try other means to make money,” Siasia stressed bluntly.
The disagreement between the two football figures has stirred fresh attention to the long-standing issues of funding and logistics that plagued Nigeria’s Olympic football campaign in 2016, despite the team eventually winning a bronze medal.
