Former Nigeria U23 coach Samson Siasia has made a shocking revelation about a bribe offer from John Obi Mikel’s agent to include the midfielder in the squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Siasia claims that Mikel’s agent offered him €50,000 (approximately ₦91 million) to include Mikel in the team, despite the player not participating in the qualifiers.
Siasia alledged that Mikel refused to participate in the Olympic qualifiers, citing his role as a benchwarmer at Chelsea.
“Mikel wasn’t a regular starter at Chelsea then; he was mostly on the bench. I told him we only had one match left against Ghana — and I pleaded with him to come and help us,” Siasia said.
“I told him if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t be part of the Olympics squad. But Mikel refused, insisting he was busy with Chelsea.
“We went on to play the match, did very well, it ended 0-0, and we qualified without him.”
According to Siasia, Mikel’s agent approached him ahead of the Olympics proper, offering a €50,000 bribe to include Mikel in the final squad. Siasia claims he rejected the offer, stating that he wouldn’t drop a player who had qualified the team to make way for Mikel.
Mikel Obi
“Before the Olympics, Mikel wanted to join the team. His agent approached me and offered €50,000 for Mikel to be included. I told them it wasn’t about money. He didn’t help us during the qualifiers, so how can I drop someone who fought for qualification just to bring him in? It wasn’t going to happen. That’s why Mikel didn’t make the squad.” He said.
READ MORE: Favour Ofili finally breaks silence on switch to Turkey
Despite the controversy, Nigeria went on to have a successful Olympic campaign, winning silver at the Beijing Games. Siasia led a talented squad that impressed en route to the final, where they narrowly lost to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
Siasia’s revelation has sparked controversy, and the former coach’s claims about Mikel’s role at Chelsea have been disputed.
This is not the first time the two Nigerian greats have faced-off publicly. Siasia had come come out publicly some weeks ago to refute Mikel’s claims that he sponsored the Super Eagles flight fares from Atlanta, USA to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Siasia publicly refuted the claims, urging Mikel to look for a job if he is broke.
