Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha has revealed the hardship Nigeria’s Dream Team endured before their historic Olympic triumph in Atlanta in 1996.
The Super Eagles beat Brazil 4-3 in the semi-final and Argentina 3-2 in the final to become the first African side to win Olympic football gold.
But Okocha says the squad came close to collapse during their American training camp.
“It’s in record because we were the first African footballing team to win Atlanta 1996,” Okocha said.
“It is special for me because of what we went through. People only see the end product, but they don’t really see the process; what was that like?”
The former Bolton and PSG midfielder described how unpaid bills left players stranded.
“We camped in America, and we woke up one day, our training coach was gone, and the bus was also gone. They took it with the spare key because the (Nigerian) FA hadn’t paid,” he revealed.
Jay Jay Okocha in action against Argentina. Photo Credit: Getty Images
For days, the team survived on a single meal.
“For like a week, the hotel gave us the same meal. It was just like rice and sauce every day, rice and sauce. They said we should be glad that we’re still here because our FA had not paid for the food and for the accommodation,” Okocha added.
In the end, senior players stepped in to cover costs.
“So, a few of us had to bring our card (debit) to pay for the accommodation and then went and rented minivans to stay in camp,” he
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The Dream Team, who boasted a star-stacked squad featuring the likes of Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, Sunday Oliseh, Celestine Babayaro and captain Nwankwo Kanu, began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Hungary, followed by a 2-0 success against Japan, before falling 1-0 to Brazil courtesy of a Ronaldo strike.
The 1996 Dream team. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Despite the setback, Nigeria advanced to the quarter-finals on goal difference, edging out Japan to finish second behind Brazil. They then defeated Mexico 2-0 to reach the last four.
In the semi-final, Nigeria met Brazil again and trailed 3-1 at half-time. A stunning fightback culminated in Kanu’s extra-time “golden goal”, completing one of the most dramatic comebacks in Olympic history.
In the final, the Super Eagles faced an Argentina side featuring Javier Zanetti, Ariel Ortega, Diego Simeone, Claudio Lopez and Hernan Crespo. Babayaro’s header was cancelled out by goals from Lopez and Crespo before Daniel Amokachi levelled.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
In the dying minutes, Emmanuel Amuneke capitalised on a failed offside trap to score the winner, sealing gold for Nigeria in front of a stunned Atlanta crowd.
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Despite the financial struggles and uncertainty off the pitch, Nigeria’s Atlanta 1996 triumph remains one of the country’s proudest sporting achievements.
