Former Nigeria U23 coach, Samson Siasia, has opened up on the reasons behind his decision to exclude John Obi Mikel from the squad that represented the country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In an interview, the former Super Eagles manager claimed he turned down a €50,000 bribe allegedly offered by Mikel’s agent in a bid to have the midfielder included in the team after Nigeria had already secured qualification.
Siasia explained that Mikel, who was at the time a fringe player at Chelsea, declined to participate in the qualification process despite repeated pleas.
“Mikel wasn’t a starter at Chelsea then; he was on the bench,” Siasia said. “I told him we only had one game left against Ghana and begged him to come and help us. But he refused, saying he was playing at Chelsea.”
Despite Mikel’s absence, the Nigerian U23 team held Ghana to a goalless draw in their final qualifier, sealing a place at the Olympic Games.
“After we qualified, Mikel now wanted to join the team,” Siasia revealed. “His agent approached me and offered €50,000 for him to be included in the squad. I said it’s not about money. He didn’t play the qualifiers—how can I drop someone who helped us qualify just to bring him in? That wasn’t going to happen.”
Siasia’s remarks are the latest in a feud between the former coach and Mikel. Their strained relationship resurfaced when Siasia accused Mikel of falsely claiming to have personally paid for the U23 team’s travel to Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
