John Obi Mikel and Samson Siasia are locked in a public disagreement over Nigeria’s participation at the Rio 2016 Olympics, following fresh claims by the former Super Eagles captain, Footynaija.com reports.
Here is a breakdown of the ongoing tension between one of Nigeria’s most decorated players and a coach who led the country to Olympic success.
Speaking on his podcast The Obi One Podcast, Mikel explained that Nigeria’s U23 team, popularly known as the Dream Team, could not travel to Brazil ahead of the Olympic Games due to lack of funds. The team was stuck at their Atlanta base just days before their opening match.
“There was no money to pay for the flight, the players were worried… I spoke to the coach, we looked for a plane and I had to pay for it,” Mikel said in the episode, as reported by Daily Post.
Mikel added that up until now, nearly nine years after the tournament, no one has reimbursed him.
Mikel captained the Nigerian team during the 2016 Olympics, where Nigeria went on to win a bronze medal, beating Honduras 3-2 in the third-place match. That result ensured Nigeria became the first African country to win all three Olympic football medals: gold in 1996, silver in 2008, and bronze in 2016.
However, in reaction to Mikel’s claim, Samson Siasia, who was the head coach of the Dream Team in Rio, disagreed. He said Mikel did not pay for the team’s flight and challenged him to provide proof.
“Mikel Obi did not pay any flight money for Olympic Eagles from United States to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics. Nothing like that,” Siasia said in a report by Legit.ng.
“He should bring the receipt, if he paid. Maybe he is broke and looking for money. He should try other means to make money,” he added.
While Siasia confirmed that Mikel paid for hotel accommodation for some players during the team’s preparation in the United States, he insisted that the flight to Brazil was not handled by the Chelsea legend.
What Happened at the 2016 Olympics
Mikel Obi in action vs Japan at the Rio Olympics 2016
Before their first match in Brazil, Nigeria’s U23 team was caught in a dramatic travel delay. The squad arrived less than seven hours before kick-off in Manaus, where they defeated Japan 5–4. The delay and confusion made international headlines.
According to BBC Sport, the Nigerian team had been stranded in Atlanta because of “a problem with the payment for their flight.” The report said the players and officials had remained grounded as the country struggled to settle logistics.
Despite that rough start, the Dream Team still managed to top their group and eventually claimed the bronze medal. Mikel played a major role throughout the tournament, providing leadership and registering assists, including one in the third-place match.
What the then Sports Minister said
Nigeria’s former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, in another report, as published Bsnsports, has denied Mikel’s claim and offered a new explanation.
Dalung who reportedly “denied knowledge of Dream Team’s preparatory trip to the United States,” until the eleventh hour revealed that the Ministry had initially chartered a 35-seater aircraft for the team, but Mikel turned it down, claiming the aircraft was too small for the squad.
The Minister then revealed that Delta Airlines eventually flew the team from Atlanta to Brazil as a gesture of goodwill and support for Nigerian sports.
“At no time did any player, not even Mikel, pay for a chartered flight. Delta Airline offered the service,” Dalung said.
