Samson Siasia has claimed that Mikel Obi tried to buy Olympic spot with €50,000 offer
Former Nigeria U23 coach Samson Siasia has made a stunning revelation, alleging that ex-Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi attempted to secure a place in the 2008 Olympic squad with a €50,000 (seventy-six million seven hundred forty thousand five hundred naira) offer through his agent.
What Siasia said
In an interview with Elegbete TV, Siasia explained that Mikel, who was then struggling for regular game time at Chelsea, was invited to help the team during the final round of qualification but declined the call-up.
"Mikel wasn't playing regularly at Chelsea at the time, mostly on the bench. I told him we had just one match left, against Ghana, and I asked him to come support the team. But he said he was busy with Chelsea," Siasia said.
Nigeria went on to secure qualification with a goalless draw against Ghana, without Mikel's involvement.
According to Siasia, that decision had consequences for Mikel's Olympic hopes.
"I told him clearly: if you don't come to help us qualify, you won't be part of the team. He didn't show up and we qualified without him," the coach continued.
Siasia then dropped a bombshell, revealing that Mikel's camp later tried to secure his inclusion through financial inducement.
"Before the Olympics, his agent approached me with an offer of €50,000 for Mikel to be included in the team. But I refused. It was never about money. How do I drop one of the boys who fought hard to qualify, just to bring in someone who wasn't there when it mattered most?," Siasia claimed.
Mikel's absence from the final squad came as a surprise at the time, considering his status as one of Nigeria's top talents in Europe.
The midfielder would eventually go on to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he captained the team to a bronze medal.
Siasia, who led Nigeria to a silver medal in Beijing, stood firm on his stance, defending his decision to prioritise merit and loyalty over star power.
"Those boys gave everything during the qualifiers. You can't just waltz in at the final stage because of your name," he concluded.
However, Mikel is yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
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