By our reporter 1-7-2025
Former Nigerian U-23 team coach Samson Siasia has dug up more dirt about his captain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games John Mikel Obi.
Siasia claimed in an interview that Mikel offered him a €50,000 bribe so that he could be included in the squad to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. This was after Mikel had refused to play for the team during the qualifiers despite not being a starter at his club Chelsea at that time.
“Mikel wasn’t a starter at Chelsea then; he was on the bench. I told him we only had one game against Ghana to play – please come and help us,” Siasia told Elegbete TV Sports
“I told him if he doesn’t come, he won’t go anywhere with the team. But Mikel refused to come, saying he was playing for Chelsea.
“Nothing happened, we played very well at the end of the day we qualified.
“Going to the Olympics, Mikel wanted to come and play. His agent said he would give me €50,000 so Mikel could play.
“I said it’s not about €50,000. He didn’t play the qualifiers, so, will I take out someone who qualified us and bring you in? It won’t happen. That’s why Mikel didn’t go to Beijing with us.”
Nigeria won a silver at the 2008 Olympics. However, in 2016 at the Rio Olympics Mikel motivated the team to a bronze, Nigeria’s only medal from that Games.
Mikel in recent podcast had claimed that he personally funded the team’s travel to Brazil, but Siasia disputed Mikel’s remarks saying that the former Chelsea midfield star was only seeking attention maybe because he was broke.
Mikel has yet to respond to Siasia’s jibes.